And Baby Makes Three
by fiberkitty
Summary: When Jasper and Edward find themselves out of luck in adopting a child, Jasper decides it is time to try a new route. What sacrifices will this couple make to become parents? Can Bella make their dream come true? Written for FGB auction.JxE,J/E/B
1. Prologue: JPOV

**Prologue**

**Jasper POV**

I waited until Edward had slipped into the kitchen with Carlisle to do the dishes before I let my guard down. My cheeks ached from the smile I had kept plastered on for his sake. Esme, my fiance's mother, patted me on the thigh and smiled.

"Care to tell me what's on your mind, Jazz?"

The sigh that left my chest belonged to a defeated man. "Esme, we both want to be parents so badly, Edward especially. We're not having any luck with the adoption agencies."

Our most recent visit had us treated very rudely by the staff, and while they could not directly discriminate against us, the woman we met with made it quite clear that we were not welcome. It would be easier for us to be single and adopt than it was as a gay couple. All we wanted was to share our home, our lives, and our love with a child. We just wanted to be parents.

I continued on as Esme nodded sadly. "The ones that actually do call us back haven't had any mothers interested in adopting to a couple like us. We want to have an open adoption so that our son or daughter can meet the birth parents later on, if so desired. It's just so damn frustrating."

I had to take a breath to calm myself down. My hands were clenching and I felt heat rising in my cheeks. "Esme, I'd give Edward the world if he asked. All he wants is for us to be fathers, to become a family. I want to give him this, to give us this. I get stupidly happy walking by a kids' clothing store in the mall while I'm holding his hand; picturing us with a stroller, and later with a child clinging to each of our hands as we play that 'one, two, three, jump' game. I just can't take watching him cry anymore." As I thought of my loving fiance, sitting at his piano, tears running over his cheeks, I felt my own start spilling down.

Esme reached forward and wiped my tears with the hem of her sleeve. "Oh, Jasper. You'll get to be parents. Nothing is ever easy. Maybe an adoption agency isn't the way you and Edward are meant to find the right baby to be my grandchild. Maybe you should go another path, like with a surrogate."

Esme reached forward and grabbed a slip of paper from the coffee table. As she held it out to me, I smiled at the state of her once immaculately manicured nails. Her nail polish was chipped from a day in the greenhouse; she and Carlisle had gone into a semi-retirement a few years ago and had been living mostly off their savings, his inheritance, and what she makes selling flowers and produce. Carlisle, unable to give up the hospital completely, continued to work one day a week as a consultant in Neurology.

"She's a receptionist in pediatrics. Isabella has been through quite a lot with her father dying last year. I've seen her while I volunteer, and she's finally smiling again."

I tried to picture her but kept failing. It had been months since Edward or I had done a shift as volunteers in the hospital. All our free time had been spent on our endeavors to become parents instead of helping out at the medical center.

"I'll talk to Edward about it tonight. He's barely holding it together right now. He didn't even want me talking about all this with you. But, you're Mom; you've been here for me, for us, for the past ten years. I can't stand having you out of the loop."

Warm arms came around me and the comfort I felt as the only mother I've known held me, made the world melt away for a few minutes. Even after a day of working in the earth, Esme smelled of Elizabeth Taylor's White Diamonds perfume. That scent had become synonymous with home, second only to the combination that made up Edward. While we embraced, our men came back in.

"Dishes are done. We should head for the city if we're going to attend Emmett and Rose's brunch in the morning and not be dead on our feet, Jasper."

Two wet hand prints were visible on the thighs of his jeans, making me smile. He was meticulous about the house and chores, but never his clothes. That task was _always_ on me.

"I guess so. Thanks, Mom," I whispered as I quickly kissed her cheek.

~*~

We were only halfway home when he sniffed. Reaching for the radio dial, I let the bass beat wash over me as I organized my thoughts, before turning it down. I knew that once he started talking, it would take a while.

"What's wrong, Edward?" I reached for his hand and found it was wet with tears. "Oh, Sweetie, no; talk to me."

Seeing a parking lot of a closed department store, I pulled in and parked beside one of the security lights. The thump of his head on the window had me unbuckling my seat belt and then reaching for his so I could pull the center of my world over the center console into my lap. My lips sought the furrow between his brows that I knew would be there, and sadly, I was not disappointed in my search.

"Jasper, I've had enough. We've gone to almost every adoption agency in our region. I give up." Edward's green eyes were shimmering with tears that reflected the yellow light. "Maybe we just aren't meant to have a little one of our own."

The pain I felt at so few words, sensing his defeat, went beyond compare. I was going to do whatever it took. "Fuck that, Honey. I promise you, we'll have a child in our arms. I'm not going to give up on us becoming parents." I thought back to the number I'd been given by Esme. Maybe it was time to try a different route.

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**Author's Note**

This is the first chapter in my final FGB auction novella. Many thanks to TwilightDramaTeach for being such a generous (and patient) donor. The remaining chapters will be posted, one weekly, beginning after she's received them all.

I do not own Twilight, nor its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.

That said, please do not copy my stories or story lines. Lost and Found was recently ripped off and it does not make for a very happy author. Just because you change the title, story location, and child's name, and paraphrase my work, it does not make it a new story.


	2. A Prayer Answered Over Breakfast: BPOV

**A/N: I know I said it would be a week before the update, but after so many of you reviewed on the first chapter, I didn't want to make you wait. As my family prepares for a much needed vacation, I will most likely be sticking to a weekly update schedule, but as I can, I'll update sooner.**

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**BPOV**

My bracelet caught in my hair, snagging painfully, as I tried to push some strands out of my face. Edward reached to help free my wrist and the resulting nervous laughter had all three of us blushing. Looking at the two men sitting across from me left me feeling awkward. Not out of any lack of self-confidence, but from fear that they knew what I was thinking. They were so beautiful, and my mind kept conjuring images of them tangled in the sheets. Some quick visits to my daydreams had me between Jasper and Edward as they sensually wrestled.

"So, how did the two of you meet?" I asked as I picked at the chicken Caesar salad in front of me. It was a stupid question, and not at all relevant to me deciding if I was going to dedicate the next ten months of my life to giving them what they wanted, and helping pad my savings a bit. I lost everything but my car when James and I divorced. His family had the money for a good attorney, and he took it all. I was living in a studio apartment so that I could save up for a new home of my own one day. I was going to get out from under my financial black cloud. With James having moved out of state, perhaps all my black clouds would begin to dissipate.

This brunch meeting could change all our lives. My hand slipped off the table into my lap, pressing against my stomach, as I chewed the bite of over-cooked poultry. What would I look like pregnant?Would people wonder who the father is? If we used my egg, as we'd discussed in our emails over the past month, what would our baby look like?_ No, Bella; not "our" baby, their baby._ Once the baby and I were discharged from the hospital, I would not see him or her for several years, if at all.

Jasper and Edward smiled with fondness as both drifted into their memories. It was Jasper who spoke after sipping on his iced tea. "We were actually roommates our Freshman year in college. We both went to NIU; I came from out of state, and Ed's family originally lived in Dixon, a small city about an hour from DeKalb. Let me preface this with- Edward was completely straight, or at least thought so, when we met. He actually started dating my twin sister a few weeks into first term."

Jasper waved his fork around as he spoke, often looking over at his lover who had taken to hiding the tomatoes from his cheeseburger under the lettuce garnish. Edward laughed and cut in. His first few sentences were lost to me as I watched his long fingers play with the blonde waves resting on Jasper's shoulders. "And then, we had the _brilliant_ idea that we wanted to rush for a fraternity. Jazz and I had already become best friends and decided it didn't really matter which frat as long as we were together."

I sipped on my iced mocha and watched as the men walked down memory lane. _Would I ever have someone who loved me like that?_

"Well, Jasper and I made it through the first round, and then one of the brothers said his girlfriend thought we were both hot and would love to see us kissing. We were asked to make out in the middle of the library." Edward's cheeks were almost as red as mine can get. I reached across the table, wanting to let him know it was okay, and then pulled back. It wasn't my place.

My eyes were transfixed on Jasper as his deep plum shaded lips brushed over Edward's temple.

"Watch my glasses, jackass." Edward pulled away. "Oh, sorry. I just normally wear my contacts, but we've had some rough weeks and my eyes needed a break from all chemicals."

"What he's saying is that we had another rejection last night." Jasper's voice was detached as he told me that the agency they'd actually gotten a call back from led nowhere.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Both men looked over at me with sad, yet hopeful, eyes. I wanted to give them what they desired.

"Well, that's why we called you. But, to finish our story, that night as we were unwinding in bed, talking about the day, I asked Edward about the kiss. Now, I have always liked women; the right guy in high school had been known to catch my interest, but I'd never acted on it. When you grow up in a dinky town in the middle of Iowa, filled with good-ol'-boys, you keep stuff like that to yourself."

Jasper swirled the straw through his glass, making the ice clank against the sides melodically. "I liked that kiss, a lot, and told Edward so. Turns out he did, too."

Edward interrupted Jasper's storytelling with a cough, making both of us laugh softly. "I seem to recall that someone liked it enough," he paused to smirk at Jasper; "that he climbed the ladder up to my bunk and nearly brained himself to kiss me again."

Edward's lips had returned to the pouty smile I'd been attracted to when we exchanged photos so we knew whom to look for. "Neither of us did end up making it into the frat. But, I think we found something better."

Jasper, with his mouth filled with pancakes, grinned. "It hasn't always been this perfect. Every couple has its share of heartache. We had ours with telling our parents over Spring Break when Esme and Carlisle, that's Edward's parents, decided to surprise us with a trip to their vacation home along with Lawrence." I knew from conversations with Edward that Lawrence was Jasper's dad. "Well, they didn't tell us they'd be showing up halfway through the week away." Jasper's lips opened almost impossibly wide as he took another bite of the short stack with blueberry syrup. "I was a little less than dressed and so was Edward. The position they found us in..."

"On the kitchen counter, no less," Edward tacked on before allowing Jasper to continue.

I knew who Carlisle was from working at the hospital, and Esme I had met several times. I could only imagine how their faces must have looked to walk in on them.

"Yes, our _manner of dress _on the kitchen counter, gave no doubt as to why we'd been quiet about our love lives. My dad didn't take the news well. He's come around since, but it took a while. Edward's parents just turned around and asked us to please get dressed and then clean the kitchen. Later, when they came back bearing take-out Thai for supper, they just made sure we were being safe and were not at risk for STD's."

"And your mom?" I asked.

Jasper smiled sadly. "My mom took off on us when I was two or three. I remember her a little, and have seen her twice since then. My dad raised me, as did the women at the daycare he had me in. It was rough, even though they took such good care of me. Esme's my mom in all the ways that matter. We made certain before starting our path to parenthood, that we could have one of us home all the time to raise our child."

My heart ached for Jasper. The hole I thought had closed after Charlie's death last year pulled open slightly, causing that space behind my ribs to burn with grief once more. "I'd say I'm sorry, but it sounds as if you have the family you need and the people who deserve you are in your life."

Jasper's hand slid across the table and squeezed mine. "Thanks, Bella. I do. I'm extremely grateful for the extended family I have through Edward, along with my dad and sister. Rosalie and her husband, Emmett, have a five year old boy and a three week old. We obviously don't see them often as they're so busy, and an hour away, but we try. So, you've heard about us, and I know you and Edward have been emailing quite a bit. He's given me the cliff notes version, but what really brings you here. Why us? Why are you willing to do this?"

It was the question I'd been asking myself repeatedly during the past six weeks of chatting with Edward. There was just something about him that made me want to help. For just forty weeks of my life, I could give them the greatest gift, one that would make their dreams come true. When I then came face to face with them in person, as a couple, I fell in love. No, not _that_ kind of love. Just this deep kinship that was there from the start.

"Well, as I'd already told Edward, I am divorced." At Jasper's face, I explained a bit. "Okay, so you didn't tell him that part," I directed to Edward. "James and I met in high school. I thought it was love. We married on my eighteenth birthday, despite my parents' objections. We divorced when I was twenty five. I've spent the past three years trying to move on with my life."

"I'm sor..."

I cut Jasper off with a finger. "Don't. I'm not. James was a controlling asshole. Sadly, in our years together, he won Renee, um- that's my mother, over. She's his biggest fan. I try to avoid James as much as possible. After my dad died last year, James ended up moving into Dad's house in Washington. He sends me a rent check each month, but otherwise, he handles everything and we don't talk."

The dressing had made my croutons soggy by that point so I pushed two over to the side and took a bite of tomato. The squirt of juice and seeds followed an audible _pop_ that had both men looking at me. "I am not sold on the idea of raising a child on my own, and am not interested in getting married again, at least not in my reproductive years. I'm happy working at the hospital to pay my bills, and spending my free time writing or at my best friend's auto shop where he's working on year twenty of teaching me to work on a car with him."

The ice was diluting my coffee but it was still drinkable. I took a sip, feeling both sets of eyes on me, awaiting my answer to the real question, would I do this for them.

"I heard about you from Esme. She didn't really tell me that much about you other than the troubles you'd had. After speaking with Edward, and now meeting you both, I want to help you; if you're willing to have me carry your child."

Jasper's lashes closed and tears spilled over his cheeks. He looked like a golden angel. "Thank you, thank you," he whispered.

Edward was openly crying as he smiled at me, and reached for me over the table. "I get to be a daddy." He stood, leaning over our food and cups, and half-pulled me to standing so we could embrace.

My tears mixed with his as Jasper came around to hug me as well. He stage-whispered to Edward and me and drew back slightly. "People are starting to stare; maybe we should head back to our house and call our attorney to draw up the paperwork. We want to make sure all our interests are taken care of."

I nodded, dazed by how quickly this had all happened. "I'm parked outside. I know Edward said you two were riding the train in and then walking the last few blocks. I can drive us to the station or to your home. I'm in Gurnee, so I have to head north anyways."

I grabbed my purse when the boys finally let me go, and went to grab some cash when Jasper smacked my hand. "We've got this, Bella. Hell, if you want to go for the best sushi the suburbs offer and all the other foods you can't have while pregnant, we'll treat you."

Edward helped me with my jacket; the end of August days, while warm, were starting to pick up an autumnal chill in the breeze. "You're going to be a pampered goddess; I promise you that, Bella."

After a continued useless fight over my portion of our bill, and my contribution to the tip being denied, I led the men outside to where my pickup stood. It had been new to me, and while it wasn't the prettiest thing in the world, it was safe and got me where I needed to go. Jake kept it running for pizza and the cost of parts. His wife, Leah, was a sweetheart and had never interfered with our friendship, something I was grateful for in the dark days after my divorce from James. I'd needed Jake more than ever then; and Leah took over at the shop while Jake made sure I was eating, drinking, and otherwise going through at least the motions of life.

"No, no, no. This isn't going to work at all. You need something safe while you're carrying our baby."

I turned and looked incredulously at Edward. "This is what I can afford, and it _is_ safe. I'm going to be just fine, as is your baby. I'm not even pregnant yet."

Edward began speaking in hushed tones to Jasper before turning back to me. "You'll drive my Volvo from the first appointment until six weeks after delivery when we'll take you for your post-natal assessment. After you're released from care, we can trade our cars back."

Jasper just shook his head. "Don't bother arguing with him, Bella; once Edward has his mind made up, it's easier to just go along with his decision. Now, let's take your truck to get our paperwork situated, and then we can figure out dinner and celebrating our impending parenthood. You need to let your hair down at least once, if not a few times, before getting pregnant."

I looked to both of them.

"There's a whole list of foods and drinks you shouldn't have while pregnant. You should make sure to have them now so that you and our baby stay healthy." Jasper smiled gently as he spoke and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "We've been doing our research."

"The two of you are going to drive me insane for the next however many months it takes us to get pregnant and then forty weeks, aren't you?"

They both smiled and climbed up in the cab of my truck, leaving Edward and I somewhat smashed together, his arm up around the back of my seat as I drove. "Probably; but you'll grow to adore us."


	3. 2: Making Our Future: JPOV

**Ch2 **

**JPOV**

Walking in the door from a rare day of work out of the house, I was unsurprised to find Edward still working on the new flooring in what had been my at-home office. We had renovated our living room to have a lofted library last year, so moving my computer and files up there was not an issue. I could design homes from anywhere.

"Putting the laminate together not as easy as they made it look?" The golden oak planks reflected the afternoon sun's glow onto Edward's hair, making it seem even more red than normal.

His grumbles were accompanied by flipping me off as I laughed and went into our bedroom to change. I had my slacks in the hamper, jacket hanging on the hook by the closet doors, and my shirt unbuttoned but on when Edward came in. "Like that, Jazz; you should always dress like that."

"You'd never let me out of bed if I did." Edward nodded in agreement. "Not that I would mind, but we need to keep up the appearance of being respectable adults if we're going to be parents."

His feet were nearly silent as he crossed the room to the bed and sat down. "We have at least ten months of fucking to get in before the baby is here. Then, who knows when we'll get time again. Maybe we should start now so we're ahead on our quota." A long sculpted arm snapped out to grab me and pull my very willing body to the bed. Warm lips kissed the taut skin of my stomach. "I can wait on supper if you can."

I shivered as the heat of his mouth rushed over me in a soft breath, before his tongue licked across the trail of faint hairs leading down into my boxers. "I think you just want me to forget you promised Mom we'd have the nursery flooring down before she comes over for supper tomorrow night with Bella." I stepped back and watched my fiance of two years, lover and boyfriend of ten- almost eleven- years pout. "Let me preheat the oven and then I'll come help you with the last few boards. We have a pizza in the freezer and some beer in the fridge. We can work off the calories in bed later." I grabbed a t-shirt and sweatpants from the drawer and headed down the hall without a second glance at Edward, knowing I'd give in if I did.

With my help, the last ten feet of boards were fit together, the trim was nailed into place, and the pull-out couch moved back in the time it took the oven to heat and pizza to bake. Breaking our own rules about eating in the living room, we curled up on the sofa, each with a slice of double pepperoni and extra cheese pizza while looking through our Netflix instant queue.

We fell asleep on the couch, with my head in Edward's lap, until an annoying beep roused me. "Eddie, sweetie, hit the fucking snooze button." Shifting my weight to turn over, it was only Edward grabbing me that kept me from rolling onto the floor.

Opening my eyes, I remembered where we were and sat up to rub my eyes. Looking around the still dark room, I kissed Edward's cheek. "Early morning today?" The beep continued in the back of our home, coming from the bedroom.

He was still half-asleep, hair sticking up in every direction. "Hmm? Oh, yeah. Remember? I switched classes with Laurent. He's taking my eleven o'clock lesson if I take his seven-thirty."

I stood and reached for Edward's hands, pulling him to his feet. "Why don't you shuffle down to the shower, turning off your alarm on the way, and I'll have breakfast waiting for you when you get out?"

Edward really started to wake up about ten minutes into his shower, as I could hear him singing scales and doing other exercises to warm up his voice. He and Laurent had switched classes so Edward could go with Bella to the clinic for the 'procedure'. I had tried and tried to get out of the meeting that was taking me down to the Quad Cities for the day, but no luck. When Volturi Bros. Contractors call, you answer or you find yourself out a lot of possible jobs.

Seeing as it was his sperm fertilizing the egg, I knew that Edward had to be there for the start, and he wanted to be there for Bella through the rest of it. I had thought it would be a harder decision to make; who would be the biological father, that is. In the end, it didn't really matter to me, and if everything went well, perhaps we could repeat the process in four to five years with my sperm. I had been at the kitchen counter, much like today, when Edward came up to me.

**~*~ Begin Flashback ~*~**

Edward made small talk and then went on and on about Bella. I'd had many conversations with him about my worries. I knew that he was attracted to her and had been from day one. She's very beautiful on the inside and out. While part of me was jealous over their closeness, I knew I had nothing to worry about and did my best to assimilate the emotion. Edward, after our long discussion of my jealousy and where I felt it was stemming from- worry that he was second-guessing the longevity of our relationship in a world that is still widely homophobic- made sure that he was more sensitive to our needs as a couple, and as prospective parents, not just Bella.

"So, which one of us is going to be the one to use the cup?" I purposely pretended I was clueless, enjoying watching my lover's flustered ramblings. "Jazz," he almost deadpanned, "I mean which one of us is going to, um, donate for our baby?" His voice held the detached tone he reserved for discussing a performance with his students or with critics over a recent composition he'd done.

I looked at him over my shoulder as I packed his lunch for the day. "I was thinking you could. You and Bella would make a much cuter baby. Her hair, your eyes, or even reversed. There are enough blond haired, blue eyed, kids in the world."

"Are you sure, Jasper?" One of those fingertips I love to kiss rested beneath my chin and tilted me so that our eyes met. "This is our baby. My sperm or yours, or if you want to just call all this off, we can. You are more important to me than us becoming parents. I love you, Jazz. You and me, we're forever. Us being parents will be forever, too. I don't want us to have any regrets about this."

I shook my head. "No regrets. It's just like I said the other night. I knew I was bisexual much earlier on in my life, but hadn't acted on it until you. You had never really dated anyone and then Rosalie forced herself onto you as your girlfriend for the first month of school. When you wouldn't even touch her chest, she started having her doubts about your interest. Then, we kissed. We've been inseparable since. I know you have a crush, for lack of a better word, on Bella. I just want to make sure you wouldn't rather have an easier life with someone like her, than with me."

My throat burned with my effort to hold back tears. Edward made no such attempt and the crystal drops matted his lashes before running down over sharp cheekbones. "You are my life, Jasper. I love you, now and forever. I'm going to marry you as soon as our state gets its head out of its ass, and even if we can't, I'll scream my vows to the Heavens. I'm yours. You're mine. And Bella, well, if you weren't in my life, sure, I'd probably be interested, but it's mostly that I'm just so thankful for her. She's giving us a part of her, entrusting us with a portion of her.

"To have it be my sperm creating the child...I just never thought I'd get to be a father, let alone a biological one. I'm scared, Jasper. I'm scared that I'll be a horrible father, or that something will happen to Bella and our baby. I don't know if I could live with myself if the baby she was having for us, caused her harm."

Our tears were salty on my tongue as I kissed him into silence. So many fears and we hadn't even impregnated her yet.

**~*~ End Flashback ~*~**

I had the scrambled eggs, toast, and a handful of blackberries for each of us on the table when Edward came out. _Tap. Tap. Taptap._ His knee was bouncing, making his leg hit the underneath of the table.

"Nervous?"

Edward swallowed hard. "Everyone's going to know what I'm doing in that room. Maybe I should have taken you up on the offer of Bella and I getting drunk and just making a baby that way." His attempt at humor made us both chuckle nervously. "I'm teasing, by the way. I just... it's just... gah! I have to jack off in the same hospital my dad's working in. Couldn't we have just used a turkey baster on our own? That way, only you and Bella have to know what I'm doing?"

I kicked his leg on its next bounce. "Why don't you call me when you go in, and I'll talk you through it? We haven't had phone sex since the choir went touring for the holidays four years ago. I can make sure you don't think about who is listening to all those cute little moans and whines right before you come."

My toe slid up Edward's leg and rested over his cock which was beginning to show interest in my hinting. "Jasper," he growled.

"Not now, my dear boy. You have to save that for making a baby." I pushed a little harder, and grinned as he let out a gravelly groan.

"You're mean." Edward reached for the last of my berries, having eaten his first.

"I promise I'll make it up to you later, or let you make it up to me."

Edward finished off his juice without another word and then cleared our plates. "I guess I should get going then. I have three kids to run through the normal scales and vocal practice, I have a full choir rehearsal at ten, and then I leave at ten-forty five to meet Bella at the hospital's OB/GYN office by noon. I think I go in at twelve-thirty for my _appointment_."

With a kiss and a ruffling of his unruly hair, I sent my guy out to make the next part of our future.

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**A/N: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. The next chapter is an Edward POV.  
**

**I leave Wednesday night/Thursday morning for a ten day vacation. I may or may not be able to update while I'm away, depending on when and where I have wifi access. I have been responding to all current chapter reviews with teases of the next chapter. I'm not sure I'll be able to do that either while I'm out. If I have wifi in our hotel timeshare, I certainly will, but if nothing else, I'll post a google doc link on twitter with a tease. My twitter ID is fiberkitty_ff **


	4. 3: Phone Calls to Remember EPOV

Thank you so much for your patience while I was on vacation and then recovering from it. Just a warning- my updates in the next two weeks or so may become less stable in exact posting date. I will try to keep it under 10 days, or post a little early if possible.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed. Your comments make the long hours I choose writing over sleep worthwhile.

Warnings on this chapter: It has a Kaia warning (she'll understand what that means) and a panty warning. There just might be a lemon in here. :)

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**Chapter Three- Two Weeks Later**

**EPOV**

I was still somewhat mortified that Bella, along with the clinic staff, knew I'd indulged in self-pleasure. My cheeks grew crimson when I saw her name come up on my cellphone and it had nothing to do with my attraction to her. Each morning, the first thing Jasper and I did (once we did get out of bed that is) was to sit down at the computer and email Bella, asking about her symptoms. She typically texted around nine with the same news of "nothing". Today, however, her name was accompanied with a ring tone a moment later.

"Hello?"

A huff and then a laugh. "My bra doesn't fit."

"Is that all?" I wasn't quite sure why Bella was calling me at seven in the morning to tell me her undergarments were ill-fitting. Jasper was showering and I was making coffee before we both went to our respective work areas and put a day into composing (for me) while Jasper had drafting and a visit to the office to attend to.

"I had a positive test this morning, Daddy."

A shatter and a thud were followed with blessed darkness.

"Edward, wake up, honey, or I'm going to call nine-one-one."

I felt a cool rag pressing against my forehead and then it swiped down to my neck. Bright light met my eyes as I tried to open them. "Too bright," I groaned as I closed my eyes again.

"He's coming to, Bella." He laughed while they spoke on the phone. "Yes, I'm pretty sure he's fine. You'll see for yourself at eleven-thirty. Edward will be there."

What? Where am I going?

"I still can't believe it. We're going to have a baby." Jasper's voice was thick with joyful tears. "We're going to have a baby," he repeated. "There's no word in any language that can express how thankful I am, _we are_, for what you're doing for us." Opening my eyes to the slightest slit, I could see Jasper smiling so widely his dimples seemed to swallow his cheeks entirely. "I can't believe we were able to conceive on the first _try. _You must be a fertility goddess."

"I told her we should worship her," I mumbled. Baby. We're going to have a baby. There's so much to purchase and prepare for.

"Edward's speaking in clear sentences now. I'd offer him the phone, but if he breaks the house phone, we're incommunicado until he gets a new cell. I'll call my insurance plan and let them know. Oh, Bella, make sure to get pictures. I want one since I can't be there."

Jasper can't be where? Pictures? Even though I was completely cognizant of my present circumstances, what they were speaking of must have occurred while I was passed out. _I passed out when I heard I was going to be a father._ Jasper will never let me live it down.

The next hour went by in a blur as we called my parents. I stepped over the remnants of my phone several times before Jasper finally cleaned it up and dumped it into a plastic bag for me to take to the store so I could buy a new one. I had managed to crack the case and shatter the display on my iPhone, something the clerk at the Woodfield Mall Apple store was amused by.

"Short of water damage, this is the worst phone I've seen brought in."

My sheepish smile barely hid my joy. _I'm going to be a daddy_ was a constant mantra in the back of mind. Even making love to Jasper in the shower before leaving the house had us both giggling like small children over our baby. He'd decided to join me in case I fainted again.

**~*~ Begin Flashback ~*~**

"Three years from now, we might have an unintentional audience." Jasper's words were muffled by the water flowing over us and the shower wall I had him pressed up against. "We could open up the shower door and have a little one standing there wondering what Daddy is doing to Daddy."

Jasper's ass clenched around me as he laughed, turning my giggle into a groan while I fought against coming too soon. Even after ten years together, coming together physically seemed new and exciting. We worked every day on our relationship; the emotional, the physical, and even the mundane day to day life of being us. We'd already spent a half hour in the shower, slowly coaxing one another to readiness and then gently coupling as we enjoyed having time to be as close as possible. Now, I understood why Jasper had insisted on an extra-large water heater.

"Eddie, love?" Jasper turned his face to look at me. I hummed my response against his shoulder, thrusting gently as I did so. "We haven't been around Emm in too long. You didn't say _it._"

I leaned back, my hands on Jasper's narrow hips, and withdrew until I could see his body stretching for the head of my cock and then slid back in slowly. His whole body shuddered. I loved the control I had over his pleasure.

"Fuck, Edward, do you know what you're doing to me?"

Wordless pleas, the musical moans that I love to record and mix with my music, came in response to another slow thrust. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that I'm driving you crazy with my dick inside you. Now, what didn't I say?" Jasper seemed barely capable of speech as I reached down and stroked his cock. "Tell me, Jazz." I squeezed with each word, and I swear he squeezed me in return.

"Who's your Daddy?"

We broke down into laughter and I couldn't hold back as his body constricted further. The shower head pelted my face with hot water as I came, my eyes closed but lifted toward the heavens. My toes curled, legs tensed, and it seemed as if the pleasure was coursing from my fingers and feet, coiling in my stomach and hips, then leaving through my cock.

"I love you, Jasper." My words came out mumbled at the tail end of a groan as I withdrew. My come leaked out of my lover as I quickly washed myself.

"Feeling a little more relaxed?" Jasper asked and then groaned as I spun him around and slammed his back against the wall of the shower.

"Yes, but you aren't." I nipped at his lower lip, catching it between my teeth before sucking, tasting remnants of the Carmex he'd used last night. Jasper panted and then moaned into my mouth while my fingers ran down his chest to tease the dark rose-tinted tan nipples.

"Fu-uck." Jasper turned his favorite expletive into two syllables as my lips and tongue replaced my fingers on one side. I slowly dropped to my knees, my lips following the dip between his abdominal muscles until I reached the tiny scar beneath his navel. The silver line was barely noticeable but I still remembered the night we'd gone back to Iowa for Rose and Emmett's wedding rehearsal. Jasper's attempt at teaching a drunken asshole some manners left him needing four stitches after landing on a broken beer bottle. The drunk ended up with more than stitches by the time Emmett got a hold of him.

We've been through so much.

My fingers slid up Jasper's chest, finding the faint crisscrossing of scars from the car accident that left him covered in tiny glass cuts and me with a broken arm and whiplash, while my mouth found his cock. My tongue slid over each subtle ridge and flicked around the head, earning that groan of my name that makes _me_ shiver.

Fingertips slid over my cheeks and ran over the outer edge of my ears before lightly twisting in my hair. Our eyes met as he fucked my mouth, though the water forced me to blink several times. My lips stretched around his cock, and I tasted the salt of his skin despite the shower. The slightly musky scent was rich and sweet where it mixed with our patchouli and sandalwood soap.

Jasper smiled and then broke eye contact as he lost himself in the pleasure I lovingly gave him. My fingers scratched across his chest, and followed the path I love to worship, the lean lines of his stomach, down his powerful thighs, and up to cup his ass. His skin was slickly taut as I squeezed the muscular globes. My knees ached from kneeling on the tile floor of our shower, yet I continued to bob my head up and down his length, watching the pleasured look on Jasper's face.

"I'm close," Jasper murmured; his fingers danced across my ears and cheekbones as he spoke. I knew without his words that his climax was imminent; his breathing rate had become rushed with small hitches, his lower lip was bitten as he tried to hold back, and his ass was clenching with each short thrust of his hips.

Jasper stiffened, and let out a deep sigh of my name, as his cock pulsed on my tongue. His come was salty as I swallowed it down, and I couldn't help but enjoy the way he shuddered in ecstasy as I coaxed the last drops from his shaft.

Looking up at him, I grinned like the Cheshire Cat. "So, Jasper, who's _your_ daddy?"

**~*~ End Flashback ~*~**

With my new phone in hand, I made my way to the diner Bella was meeting me at for lunch before the confirmation ultrasound. I'd called Jasper when I arrived; he was on his way to the office to check in with two clients. I was texting Rosalie and Emmett the news when Bella walked in. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she seemed to be still half-asleep as she side-stepped at the last moment to avoid walking into the hostess' podium.

"Hey, you."

Bella smiled at my greeting and sat down across from me. "How's your head, Edward?"

I touched the back of my head and winced. "If I had been three inches to the left, I'd have hit the coffee table; so, I'm pretty lucky I just bounced off the rug instead. Jasper said it's a good thing I'm so hard-headed."

Her responding giggle made my heart even lighter than it already was over our news. "So, how are you doing, Bella?"

She looked down at the menu and then up at me; her left cheek was hollowed from either sucking it in or chewing on it. "I don't think it has sunk in yet. It's a little overwhelming when it hits me, and then I remember that..." She trailed off and then shook her head. "It doesn't matter."

"No, Bella; everything matters. Tell me what you're thinking, please?"

Her lips pouted and just as her resolve weakened under my gaze, the waitress came to take our order. Bella ordered a double cheeseburger with mustard and onions with a side of waffle fries. If looks could kill, I'd be dead and buried after the look Bella gave me when I told the waitress "medium" instead of Bella's preferred medium-rare.

Bella was oddly quiet about our situation until I brought up the sonogram appointment. "I can't wait to see our, I mean your, baby." The tone to her words made it all fit together.

"Are you regretting this now that you're pregnant, Bella?" I asked as she was a few bites into her cheeseburger.

"No. I just... It's hard to explain. I still don't _want_ to be a mom, but knowing that I have a life growing inside of me, one that is partly genetically mine, is awakening a side of me I didn't know I had. One day, when the time is right, I hope I'll find someone who will love me the way you and Jasper love one another. Then, I might think about having a child of my own."

I nodded and bit into my turkey club before tasting the tomato. Bella's lips were twitching as she watched me pull out the offending fruit and set it on the side of my plate.

"I know you eat ketchup, and you ate spaghetti with red sauce when your mom and I were over for dinner. Why don't you eat tomatoes?"

I shrugged and swallowed. "They're squishy and gross, that's all."

We ate with few comments, often looking up and smiling. We'd made a baby.

"Excuse me; would either of you like coffee?" The waitress was not given a chance to even move from our table before Bella slid out of the booth and ran for the bathroom.

"I guess that would be 'no', Lauren," I said after looking at her name tag. "I think we found her first aversion with pregnancy."

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

**Two Hours Later**

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

"What do you think Jasper is going to say?"

I looked to Bella who still had tears running down her cheeks. My own were dry, but only because I was too in shock to cry. "Let's find out." I pulled out my phone with shaking fingers and searched for his number before hitting _send_.

"Whitlock."

"Jazz, it's me." I could hear the shake beginning in my voice as the reality began to sink in.

"Is everything okay?"

I took a deep breath before talking. "You better sit down, Honey." I waited until I heard the springs on his office chair creak. "We're having two babies, Jazz. We'll know more in a few weeks after another doctor visit and sonogram but the tech said we're having twins."

* * *

**A/N Thanks for reading, and thank you in advance for reviewing.**

**While waiting for next weeks' installment- please check out the "A Southern Twi-Night" contest hosted by TeamFireandIce. If you put their name into the author search bar, it will pull up the contest entries. **

**Also, I will be taking part in this summer's FGB auction. If there is a scene you want expanded, an alternate POV, or a missing scene written- bid on me. :) I'm offering up one one-shot, and one multi-chapter story (~10 chapters); each auction is for the highest bidder.**

**If you are interested in my original fiction- I have a pg13 rated piece submitted to the E-book Benefit project. ebookbenefit (dot) blogspot (dot) com for details.  
**


	5. 4: Difficulties BPOV

**Chapter 4: BPOV Difficulties**

"Are you sure I can't drive us there?" I asked Edward as he sat there staring at his phone. Ever since Edward had called Jasper to tell him we were having twins, he'd sat there in shock. "Edward, give me the keys." I said as I reached for _my_ keychain in his hands.

I still hated that he was making me drive his car while he took mine. My demand seemed to jar Edward from whatever stupor he'd fallen into and a huge smile broke out across his face as he pulled me across the seat into a hug.

"Two babies!" His excitement had both of us shaking as he bounced in the seat. "I have to call Mom." Edward was still half-holding me as he fished around for the cup-holder, where he'd tossed his phone after calling Jasper. Edward pulled back after reacquiring his phone. The smile on his face made being scared worthwhile.

"Mom! It's twins! Jasper and I are going to have two babies! It worked! Two babies!" He was practically jumping in the seat and got out into the lightly falling Autumn rain as he talked. "I know. We waited so long, and now we're having two. We'll have to get a second crib eventually. We'll keep them together at first. So much more to learn about- and worry about." Esme wasn't given a chance to speak. I had a feeling I'd better get used to it.

My stomach, outside of being queasy and a little bruised feeling from the ultrasound, was fine. Sitting, however, was not extremely comfortable after the trans-vaginal wand was used. There was no question that I'd be the subject of much poking and prodding now by physicians, nurses, and technicians; along with endless advice from strangers as they tried to touch my stomach. I would get bigger so much faster with twins. Twins. _Wow, I'm growing two babies_.

There was never even a thought of separating my babies; Jasper and Edward would have both. They had promised I could have as much, or as little, contact with their child. Well, children now. Would Jasper want both babies? He had been somewhat in shock, and we'd worried that we would have to go revive him from a fall.

Jasper had recovered, though, and was cautiously ecstatic. Being a twin, even though Rosalie had been mostly raised by his paternal aunt, he had looked into the risks of a multiples pregnancy before we went ahead with the conception. Although he was a fraternal twin, I think Jasper was worried his sperm would have encouraged a twins pregnancy, but it looks like I released two eggs, or one split, without his influence. It seems that even with us using Edward's sperm, the Fates had twins in mind for the men.

As he hung up the phone, Edward eased back into the seat and buckled his belt before gripping the wheel. His smile could have lit up the entire world. "Two babies, Bella. Jazz and I are going to be fathers." My cheeks lifted into a matching grin as he drummed out rhythm on the steering wheel as he laughed. The joy I was giving them was gifted back to me a thousand fold through seeing their happiness.

"Why don't we go back to my house so I can make my calls and try to rest before going to work? I couldn't sleep much last night. I was too excited."

I pulled out the test I'd taken yesterday afternoon. "I took this at work yesterday." When Edward furrowed his brows, ready to ask me why I hadn't told them then, I interrupted. "I wanted to make sure; so, I called our doctor yesterday. The nurse scheduled the sonogram this early because of our _procedure_. I took another test this morning so I wouldn't look stupid if we went in and they found nothing." I'd used 'procedure' knowing how sensitive he was about the entire thing. The poor boy had been embarrassed beyond belief when the nurse handed the doctor the covered cup while Edward sat by my head.

Warm, slender fingers that could easily wrap around my entire hand covered my fist and pried it open. I hadn't even realized I'd balled my hands up. "You could never look stupid, Bella. If anyone says you do, well, I'll sic Emmett on him." He laughed at my smirk. "What? I got my ass handed to me by a bunch of small-town Iowa boys; I know better than to get into any fights."

I hated the thought of him being injured, even more so as I thought of it being because he loves Jasper. Love is love. Two adults loving one another isn't wrong.

"Are you ready to get out of here?" Edward asked, his lips still spread wide in a slightly uneven smile.

I nodded and fastened my seat-belt. My pickup almost groaned and seemed to rebel as Edward shifted into reverse. _Please work, Rusty._ Edward let my truck roll back and after I cranked the window down, a loud _thump_ shook the front cab. We both jumped and Edward was white as he stomped down on the brake pedal.

A big grin came into view as a dark haired man stepped up to Edward's window. "Gotcha, Eddo. What are you doin' here?" The man spoke with the speedy, yet somehow laid-back sounding, dialect of someone who was born and raised in the Midwest.

"Emmett, is Rose with you?" I relaxed as I pieced together that this was Jasper's brother-in-law. Edward reached for my hand once more and squeezed it. "Bella and I were here for the first ultrasound."

"Congrats, Papa. Jasper is on the phone with Rosalie. I saw you get in and had to jog over while Rosie is getting situated. We just got finished up taking Kate in for a checkup. Your mom was picking Garrett up at the bus stop and taking him back to her place. Are you and Jazz coming over for supper tonight?" Emmett seemed to have said all that in one breath. "Now, is this the little lady?"

I reached across Edward to shake Emmett's hand as it came in the window. "Hi, I'm Bella," I offered.

"Emmett; I'm married to Jasper's sister. So, you're the one giving my brother and this spoiled asshat a baby?" Edward grinned at Emmett's name-calling, so I assumed it was a regular exchange between the two of them.

"Two babies, actually." As Emmett released my hand, I dropped it down to my stomach, imagining the two little dots from the ultrasound, which were almost the size of rice, growing.

"Twins?" Edward nodded and Emmett smiled. "No shit! Congratulations. I guess this makes you my little sister now. Welcome to the family."

I shook my head. "Thanks, but once the babies are born, I won't be around. I'm just the walking incubator. I am growing their babies."

Edward's head whipped around and his green eyes were filled with violent fire. "You're so much more than that, Bella. We would never shut you out of their lives. You're their mother, regardless of the place and time you have in our lives."

I didn't want to have this argument on such a happy day so I just nodded, letting Edward think he'd won. "I should probably get home, Edward, if you and Jasper have supper plans. You can just drop me off at the train or bus station if you want."

"No; I have plenty of time to make sure you're inside and comfortable before taking off. But, yes, we should get going. I'm glad the two of you got to meet. Emm, give Rose and the kids my love. I'll see you all tonight for Mom's meatloaf. Can you please not further damage Bella's truck on our way out, Emmett?" he asked with a grin.

They embraced through the window and Emmett reached through and tapped me on the shoulder. "You keep my little brothers in line. They need a woman's touch to soften them up a bit. Take care, Sis."

I was laughing softly as he took off. "He really doesn't take 'no' for an answer, does he?"

"Sorry about him," Edward mumbled. "My brother-in-law is an interesting person. He is an amazing husband and father, along with a very loyal friend."

Edward turned on the radio and started singing along with the song. Hearing his classically trained voice singing pop crap had me in giggles. "What? Is it bad?"

I shook my head, worried I'd embarrassed him. I didn't want to ruin our friendship. "No. It's just hilarious thinking of your music education going into singing 'faith and desire and the swing of your hips'; your voice is beyond all of that, Edward."

The blush that came over his cheeks rivaled the spring roses. He pulled out on the street with his head still turned away from me. "You really do think the best of everyone, don't you?"

A sudden ache in my chest reminded me of how true that was. My response came out in a whisper, but I knew he'd heard me. "Even when I know I shouldn't." My left ring finger was oddly empty feeling, despite how long it had been since wearing James' diamond and wedding band.

I'd wanted to believe in James. Long after I should have given up hope, I clung to my faith that he loved me and would stop cheating. When he didn't, and I walked in on him with some blonde _and_ a redhead in our bed, I tried to leave. He promised he was going to change if I would just give him one more chance.

His last chance landed me in the hospital with broken ribs, a leg broken in three places, and numerous bruises after James shoved me down the stairs. I moved in with my mother after that and filed for a divorce. Renee was determined to show me that James was a changed man "after going through the hell of almost losing his wife." Even I must admit that when he showed up daily with flowers, books, and unending promises of how good it would be if I just came home, my resolve almost broke.

After I was back on my feet and given a medical release to return to my job, I spent several weeks staying with Leah and Jake. Leah helped me through my continuing physical therapy and Jake was there for the emotional support I desperately needed in standing up to James and Renee. My mother had been fooled by the nice clothing, soft voice, and all the gifts. She didn't see him for the snake he really was.

"Where did you go, Bella?" Edward's voice broke me from my painful memories and I forced a smile.

"The past. It is what shapes us into who we are."

"Very true," he murmured before quickly reaching to squeeze my upper arm. "Despite some of the drama and trauma of my past, I know I would not change any of it. What about you?"

"I would not have married James. Maybe I would have accepted my best friend's proposal when he tried to rescue me from my relationship with James. Jake was upset when James and I moved in together, and tried repeatedly to make me leave. When he pulled out a ring and asked me to elope with him, leaving James far behind, I almost agreed. But, then I thought of how badly it would hurt Leah. They had been dating for about a year at that time. I could not destroy her like that."

During my musings, we had traveled most of the distance and I stopped talking as Edward pulled into the visitor parking lot of my apartment complex. The air was acrid with the smell of paint, weed killer, and various cleaning sprays. Mister Clearwater was up on a ladder repainting window trim on my neighbor's home.

His wrinkled face was a comfort; he'd done everything possible to make my tiny apartment as nice as possible. When my air conditioning unit had broken, our maintenance manager told me it would be up to two weeks before they could replace it. Not an hour after my call, Henry switched out the faulty equipment for one in an empty unit.

"Do you mind if I come in with you? I need to use the bathroom." Seeing how badly his leg was bouncing, he really need to go.

I motioned Edward to follow me. "Sure. This way you can hear how much of a basket case Renee is."

Edward was on my heels all the way into my kitchen and seemed reluctant to leave my side as I grabbed the phone. I had to wave him off to use the bathroom before he remembered how badly he had to go. "I'll be right back."

The phone range three times and then clicked over to my mother's nasally voice. "Hello; you've reached Phil and Renee. We aren't home right now. Please leave your name and number after the tone."

"Hi, Mom," I forced myself to not call her Renee. "I went to the doctor today. It's official; I'm pregnant."

A click on the line let me know Renee was just screening calls again. The voice that came on, however, was definitely not my mother. "Bella, sweetheart, care to explain this little bit of information to me?"

James. James was in Illinois.

"Jimmy. Hi. I didn't expect you to be there. Can I talk to Renee, please?" I really didn't want to talk to him, least of all about this.

"You don't need her, Bellsy. When you're ready to admit you were wrong, I'll come get you. You can move to your father's house with me. I'll help you take care of your one-night stand. I won't make you be alone while pregnant_. _I'll take care of your mistake."

Mascara stung my eyes as the tears began. "I'm not keeping my babies, James."

He laughed. "So, you're going to get things taken care of, then? Need me to drive you?"

His asinine coldness was astounding.

"I'm a surrogate, asshole. I _can't_ keep my babies; the boys get them both." I couldn't stop the tears; James just knew how to push my buttons. He had this way to make me feel vulnerable simply by hearing his voice.

_His_ smell, the clean herbal mint smell that clung to Edward wrapped around me a moment before his arms did. I shook him off with as firm a look as I could manage given the sobs shaking my torso. "Edward, just go; please. Let me deal with this." I covered the phone as I heard James asking who this 'Edward-fellow' was. "Edward, I have to fight my own fights, and James is one of those. Please, go home. I'll be fine."

The phone fell with a clang as I dropped it to use both hands to all but shove Edward out the door. My words were broken up with sobs, so I doubted he believed me. "You have to go. I promise I'll be fine. If I need you or Jasper, I _will_ call."

His beautiful face crumpled. "Bella, let me..." I cut him off as I shook my head.

"Just go."

I closed the door as quietly as possible and crossed back to the kitchen. James was swearing; I could hear his mutterings through the phone where it lay on the counter. The phone weighed a thousand pounds as I lifted it. "Jimmy, I'll come to Renee's for supper. We can talk there."

My free hand covered my stomach. _I'll do anything to protect you, my babies. Don't worry. I won't let him near you._

As soon as I hung up the phone, I dialed Jake. "What's up, Bells?"

"James." One word was all I needed.

"Pack your bag. Sam and I will be there to get you in fifteen minutes. I'm not going to let James hurt you again."


	6. 5: Charismatic Sociopath JPOV

**Chapter 5: Jasper POV**

**~15 weeks into the pregnancy**

The delicate cream feet with their crimson painted toes wiggled as Rosalie stretched beside me. "You're worrying again, Jasper. We have amazing doctors and they're going to make sure your babies are fine. Our parents didn't have half the technology and we were fine." She smelled of baby soap, lanolin, and her lilac shampoo as her golden hair fell down onto my chest.

Emmett was in the backroom with Kate and I had my eye on Garrett while he colored at the kitchen table. Their house was hardly a retreat, but I just needed away from Edward for a few minutes. Ever since Bella shoved him out of her apartment and moved in with Jake, he's been like a caged lion.

"With her ex-husband in the area, Edward is stressed. He's worried that this James is going to try something. Bella's living closer to us, which should have Edward happy, but he's constantly on alert for something to go wrong. I thought _I_ was the worrier between the two of us."

My sister's fingers came up and stroked my hair. "Jazzy, maybe you should give Edward some credit for his instincts. He was right about Royce." The last sentence was breathed into my ear so Emmett could not hear.

Edward had been the one to see the signs of Rosalie's abuse and confronted her about it. Two more months went by before Rosalie showed up on our doorstep in tears, pulling a long coat around her body. We'd taken her to the hospital and helped her with filing a report. It was Emmett, however, an assistant for the local news reporter, who helped Rosalie the most. When Royce's father paid enough to keep the reports off the air, Emmett pushed them to dig deeper and continue the story.

"So, what are you going to do about Edward?" Rosalie moved so that she was sitting sideways on the couch, her toes half buried between my thigh and the cushion.

"I don't know, Rose. I know he's right; we _need_ to worry about James and what he might do. At the same time, Bella has to be given the credit for taking care of herself so far. She knows the asshat better than anyone and does not fall for his bullshit. If we interfere, we could ruin everything. I don't want to push Bella and have her change her mind about the babies, or worse, have James find her because we force her out of the safe place she knows. She says that her friends will protect her from James. I have to believe that." I'd said the words before, to Edward, and they bore no less conviction.

**Begin Flashback**

"Jasper, I just don't get it. She shoved me out of there like it was my fault. Watching her cry, it just tore me up inside."

I pulled my other half, my better half, over the couch and into my lap to hold him. "She's a strong woman, Edward. We must give her the freedom to live her life. As long as she's not purposely endangering our children, we do not have a say. If she says Jake, Leah, and Sam can protect her, we have to believe that. I care about her just as much as you do."

Momentary pain blossomed in the side of my face as Edward's skull hit my jaw bone when he turned to look at me. "Do you, Jasper?" His voice was soft and his eyes were dangerously dark from his unshed tears. "What if something happens to her? What if he kills her? He's dangerous and thinks scaring her is all a game."

"We will do what we can to keep her safe, but we can't interfere with her wishes, Edward. She is a grown woman who must take care of herself. Treating her like a child would not help the situation at all. If the worst would happen, we would grieve for her and our children. We would go on though, Edward. We're together, and would lean even more on one another. She is our friend and it is good to worry for her, but we cannot eliminate all threats in our friends' lives."

My words came out smoothly, not showing the desire I had to restrain. I wanted nothing more than to break into Bella's apartment and move everything into our two basement bedrooms and keep her safe in our home. However destructive that would be to her thoughts of us, I also worried how it would affect things in the greater picture.

Needing to speak my heart, I chanced putting my foot in my mouth and sleeping on the couch for a week. "Edward, honey, I'm attracted to Bella." We'd discussed his growing feelings for her but I'd stayed mum regarding my own. It wasn't that I was hiding them, or denying them; I simply wished to be sure of my feelings, or possible lack there of, before opening up a can of worms.

My fingertip prickled as I brushed across the stubble on his chin. "I love you more than anything; you do know that, right?" When he nodded, I slid my nail across the small dip in the crease of his chin before dropping to hold his left hand. My fingers toyed with the engagement band he wore. "It doesn't have anything to do with our relationship. I love you; you are my soul mate. You are my everything. And, I'm too old for a high school crush. Hell, I don't even look at women when we're out. I haven't looked at anyone in years."

"Then why now? Why her?" There was no jealousy in his voice, just honest curiosity.

"Because she's made you sparkle. You just glow. I love that she's brought that out in you. From the moment we found out we were having the twins, you became even more alive. You're still you, but amplified. It is incredible to see and experience. In turn, it has made me look at her in a new light."

He nodded and turned to straddle my lap. A smile played across his lips and my eyes landed on the small freckle of a mark that remained from his short-lived experience of having a piercing. "It's all because of what she's giving us, Jazz. It's the fatherhood glow hitting me. I can't wait for when it's just you, me, and our babies. We're a family, Jasper. What I feel for Bella is complicated. We've talked about that. Even if I didn't have you, I wouldn't pursue that. She and I would drive one another insane. I'm too old fashioned and she's impulsive."

"So am I," I mumbled against my fiance's neck as I held him tightly.

"Yeah, but you also love me even when I leave my socks on the floor, forget to close the toilet lid, get moody and don't want to leave the piano, and above all, you are my best friend. I'm marrying you, Jasper; and we're going to have beautiful babies. I can't imagine my life without you, and intend to spend the rest of our lives at your side." He kissed me gently; a soft, wet, passionate pressing of our bodies together starting at the lips. "Not always at your side, I guess. Sometimes I'll have to be in front or back. It's hard to make love if we're side to side."

Hours later, after we'd made our way to bed and back again, Edward reached up to play with my hair. "It's okay if you fall for her, Jasper. I have. I'm glad you told me though. I like knowing where you're at mentally. I knew already, though. You blush anytime she looks at you; the same way you did before we kissed and the year following."

**End Flashback**

After my talk with Rosalie, I had tried to be more forthcoming with my distress over the situation. Edward, while even more agitated because I stopped hiding my fidgeting, was glad to know that I was not blowing off his concern. We settled into a routine of picking up Bella at the train station, she was still far too stubborn to allow us to pick her up and she was wary of being followed from the hospital to Jake's. She had allowed us to visit once, but only after we'd "accidentally" heard that she'd had Esme over to visit. From the start of that conversation with my "Now, Darlin'," until the end with her "fine, you mule-headed charismatic sociopath, you can come over." it had been a battle. Only when I played my trump card, "Edward has been worrying himself sick over you and the babies," did she relent.

It was during lunch at Edward's and my place though, when I made her open up to me. "I can't wait for the ultrasound!" My leg was bouncing beneath the table as I picked at my pan-seared chicken with lemon sauce over brown rice and broccoli.

Bella was into her third bite, those dark eyes half-lidded as she praised my cooking skills, and looked up at me, as if expecting me to speak. Swallowing down the chicken which tasted like a lump of salt suddenly, I felt my hands begin to sweat. I hated to manipulate the situation into my and Edward's favor, but I had to do something.

"So, Bella, how was James when you didn't show up for dinner with him?" She'd avoided the topic altogether when Edward asked over the phone _and_ when we'd gone to Jake's home.

Her eyes widened and after wiping her lips with the linen napkin she'd carefully folded on her lap, she took a sip of lemonade before answering. "Renee called Jake's shop, knowing I'd probably gone to him. James apparently showed up there the next day and tried to follow Jake home. Jake was too smart for that and drove to the police station and sat there for a while. I walked down the street to Sam's house and stayed with him and Emily until Jake was sure James hadn't found his house."

Knowing I might not have a chance to eat anything else, I quickly downed two bites of rice. "You could have called us, Bella. James doesn't know anything about us. Neither does your mother. All they know is that you're a surrogate for two men. We have two rooms here. You're giving us such an amazing gift; let us help take care of you so you can take care of our babies."

A shimmer turned into tears as crystalline drops cascaded over her cheeks. "I can't get you involved, Jasper. James would hurt you both. I know how to deal with him. He's leaving in a few weeks to go back to Washington and he'll forget about me until the next time he needs something. After the babies are born, I'm moving to New York to live with my cousin." We'd heard her mention Charlotte before, but hoped she would stay local to have some small part in our children's lives.

An ache rivaling the first time I had a business trip Edward couldn't accompany me on opened up in my chest. The word 'no!' was at the tip of my tongue as I bit it back. "Please, just consider staying here, Baby. Edward and I will be fine."

"From what I've heard of your past, the two of you didn't fare well against a drunk farm boy. You couldn't stand up to James."

"Edward and I took up self-defense as soon as I healed from my fall onto the broken bottle. My brother-in-law makes a great sparring partner as he's easily twice my weight and I'm not afraid to kick his ass for sleeping with my sister. Ed and I take separate classes as we can't stand seeing each other getting hurt. He is studying Aikido at the MAC Dojo on Damen. Emmett and I take Karate together out on Schaumburg Road. We could hold our own."

Despite my argument, Bella shook her head. "If something happened to either of you, it would kill me, Jasper. I care too much about both of you to see you involved in my past. I'm trying to leave it behind me, not have it tied into my present and future."

My temper began to get the best of me. I wanted to bundle her up and whisk the three of us off to Carlisle and Esme's vacation home in the Bahamas. We could keep her safe and three of us would live together.

"Baby, please just think about it. We have the money and resources to keep all of us protected. I know you want your freedom and want to keep us out of harm's way. At the least, let one of us be with you if you go back to your apartment until you know James is out of state. We'll drop the issue as long as you let us do what we can to keep you safe."

"That's two times you've called me 'Baby' now." Bella smiled around her fork as she ate the last piece of chicken.

"Huh? I guess I have; sorry." I call Edward 'honey' or 'sweetie' so calling her something seemed to just happen naturally.

"No; I _like _it," she admitted with a blush. "I shouldn't, but I do." Bella looked up at the clock on the stove. "We should finish up here and head out. I have to pick up paperwork for a blood draw on Monday and then we can check in for the ultrasound."

_**About two hours later**_

"Hi, I'm Angela. I met Bella last time; but, I haven't met you."

I held out my hand to the slim brunette. "I'm Jasper, the father." It was the first time I'd said the words aloud to anyone but our immediate family and it really hit hard. I'm going to be a father. Edward and I are going to be parents.

The poor girl seemed a mix of confused and astonishment. "But the redhead?"

"He's my fiance," I said as I took the seat beside the table Bella was situating herself on. "Bella has been kind enough to donate a year of her life to help Edward and I be parents."

Recovering herself, Angela smiled and sat down on the stool beside Bella. "I guess I better print extra photos then, so all three of you have copies."

I watched in sheer amazement as my children came into view. There was just something else that didn't come through in hearing from Edward what it was like and seeing the photos, compared to seeing them in 'real time' as Angela moved the wand around. After she took all the measurements, I watched her print out a sheet with all the numbers listed.

"Why is twin B showing up as only fourteen weeks, four days and twin A is actually ahead of our timing at sixteen weeks, three days?" I asked.

"Those are questions for your doctor. Doctor Gianna Carr will be with you in just a few minutes. I take the measurements and then she comes in, double checks things, answers your questions, and can look more in depth if needed."

Bella clung to my hand and I jotted down the numbers I remembered to look at later, at home. It was three minutes before Doctor Carr came in and looked over the computer report as she introduced herself. While her bedside manner was friendly, she also gave the impression that there would be no sugar coating. I liked that.

"Well, you are having mono-di twins. This means that they are identical, sharing one placenta. However, they are diamniotic, having two sacs. While some risks are lessened, we will need to watch for TTTS, Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome. This is when when one twin has a larger share of the placenta. At this point, I am not _too_ concerned with the difference in size. It is still within normal discrepancy ranges. Remember, sonogram technology can be off as much as twenty percent. We're going on what has been measured on other children to create an average size.

"Twin A is larger, but not worrisome so, at this point. What I would like is for you to increase your protein intake; but, I do that for all mothers of multiples I see. Two protein shakes a day now can help make your babies larger and I've seen more mothers go closer to term than those with smaller children. We will be watching you more closely. I'd like you back in two weeks, three at the most, if that's the soonest we can fit you in."

Bella nodded and a tear trickled down her temple. I wiped it away with my free hand before leaning in to kiss her forehead. "They're going to make sure our babies stay healthy. Edward and I will get you anything you need. Don't worry about the money."

Her voice was shaking slightly as she spoke, her fear for our children only slightly pushed to the side as she asked what she wanted to know. "Is it too early to tell what we're having?"

It was seven minutes of looking around before the doctor was able to capture the image she needed. "I normally can't guarantee until closer to twenty weeks, and obviously we'll look each time anyways, but I'm pretty sure. Twin B is not shy at all. You're having two little girls."

Bella's smile was beautifully bright. "Daddies' little princesses."

* * *

**Author's Note**

**My husband and I have mono-di identical girls and much of the medical encounter came from our notes from our 15 week u/s.  
**


	7. 6: All The Ways You Touch Me BPOV

**Chapter 6: BPOV**

**18 weeks (3 weeks after last chapter)**

"How are our girls doing this morning?" Edward kissed my stomach as Jasper pressed his lips against my forehead.

I rubbed the side of my stomach where I felt a slight flutter. It had just started in the past few days and I couldn't get enough of it. "Ashley and Allison are fine. I feel like death warmed over." I'd caught a cold at work on my last day and was trying to survive on Tylenol and Benadryl for my symptoms. I was too worried to take anything stronger, even though my doctor said the babies would most likely be fine.

"How was the bed? Were you comfortable enough?"

I couldn't help but laugh as they doted over me. "I'm fine, promise. You didn't have to go to all this trouble."

Three days ago, the doctor gave us the bad news that we were in fact dealing with TTTS. Ally was 'donating' to Ashley and we were told we were currently in Stage II. While our girls were not yet showing signs of cardiac dysfunction, the thirty-five percent size difference and amniotic fluid levels were calling for minor intervention. My doctor put me on bed rest until she could confer with another physician and give us a few days to see how things have gone. If at that point the girls are showing any signs of distress, the difference has increased, or for any number of reasons, I will be taken to another hospital where laser surgery would be done.

As Jake and Leah could not stay with me all day, and Sam had to worry about his own pregnant wife, it was not safe for me to stay at Jake's home by myself. Edward and Jasper leapt at the chance and moved me in with them, 'just until the doctor releases' me from bed rest. I hated imposing on them, but loved the glimpse I had into the life they would give the girls.

It was getting harder, week by week, even day by day, to not get attached to my daughters. They were a part of me. Beyond that, I was falling for their fathers. Three days in their home, two of which I'd spent in the bed they brought up and put in the nursery, and I found myself falling in love. It was the little things they did for each other that had won my heart. Their intimate moments spilled into everyday life as they couldn't get enough of one another. I felt intrusive when their sweet moments turned naughty.

**Flashback**

"Eddie, sweetie?" When Edward didn't answer, Jasper came down the hall and walked into the bathroom. I could see through the mirror that Edward was at the sink, shaving, when Jasper walked in. "I'm making your lunch before you head in. Do you want me to pack you breakfast, also, or are you grabbing something on the way?"

I couldn't hear Edward's response as he turned on the sink to rinse his razor.

"Hold still. You have some cream right here." I was a silent voyeur to their moment as Jasper stroked away a stray line of shaving cream on Edward's cheek and then kissed the smooth skin. Not all was visible to me, but I saw enough to fuel months of naughty dreams.

Hands drifting down Edward's sides to rest atop his towel, hands lifting to grasp Jasper's neck and the longer curled tendrils. A wet, sighing sound as lips met and then a groan as Edward's towel fell. A glimpse of pale flesh, the slight curve of his hip into thigh, was all I saw as Jasper spun him around into the door, closing my view into their private world.

A whimper followed by "you're going to make me late," was all I heard from Edward before a muffled hum came from Jasper. "Fuck, Jazzy." A thud, followed by several more came from roughly head-height on the door.

Several minutes passed before the men came out of the bathroom, both flushed and smiling. Edward blushed as he passed my room but Jasper gave me a thumbs up. Where Edward was shy and reserved, Jasper was cheeky and almost overly confident. Together, they were a tantalizing dream made flesh.

**End Flashback**

"I don't need to be carried to the car, Edward!" I playfully pounded at his chest with the side of my fist as he carried me down the sidewalk.

"I let you walk to the bathroom earlier, didn't I?" When I hummed my acknowledgment, Edward slid into the car door Jasper had opened. "That was your out of bed privilege for the morning. You can walk from the waiting room to the exam room, deal?"

My grumbling had both men laughing as their eyes met in the rear view mirror. "Edward, are you pickin' on our woman?" Jasper's question made my breath catch and I noticed that Edward's did as well.

This couldn't last. They wanted me for the babies, nothing more. I sure as hell was going to enjoy it while it lasted, though.

Edward's hand brushed over my stomach, making me itch as he fastened my seat belt. "I could have done that myself, you know."

"Unlike you, I can actually see the latch _and_ I just wanted to touch your belly." There was a challenging smirk upon those slightly off-center lips and as he tapped my nose with one of his fingertips, I struggled with my urge to kiss away that cocky look.

I was obviously showing, and many people in my OB/GYN's office assumed I was in my third trimester of a singleton pregnancy, not a few weeks into my second with twins. In a matter of days I seemed to have gone from being uncomfortable in my regular pants to outgrowing maternity clothes. For today, I'd borrowed a shirt from Jasper and a pair of Edward's stretchy sweat pants.

The interior designer from Jasper's workplace had stopped by on my first day at their home, looked me over, and pronounced me "dressable" before taking off without another word. Jasper had just laughed and said I'd have more clothing than I knew what to do with in a few days. Given what little I'd seen of Alice, but had heard of her from Jasper and his co-worker, (who happened to be Alice's husband) Peter, I knew Jasper was right.

Edward's fingers idly played with my hair, sending shivers up and down my spine each time he brushed against skin. A murmured apology drew my attention when Edward tried to pull his hand away, but I leaned back into his arm, trapping his fingers between my head and the back of the seat. Taking my less than subtle hint, Edward began a light scalp massage, gently rubbing where he could reach.

By the time we reached the hospital OB/GYN clinic entrance, I had melted completely under his touch. I felt like a romance novel heroine; breasts heaving, nipples tight against the shirt I wore, panties soaked but hopefully not all the way through to Edward's pants where it might show, and the damned blushing that started in my cheeks and crept down to my chest. The constant touch seemed to work its way through my entire body yet he never left the back of my head and neck.

Standing up as I climbed out of the car, I wasn't so sure I would be able to walk. My legs were weak. Edward jogged on ahead to check me in while Jasper slid his arm around my waist and walked with me down the short sidewalk. He gave me a small smile and wink.

"I'd say he has that effect on everyone, but I think it's just you and me, Baby."

For a moment, just one perfect moment, I saw it all. The three of us sitting in the back yard, watching our daughters play. Maybe I'd have a child of Jasper's next. Happily ever after. Baby makes three and the babies make five.

No; I couldn't afford to dream about that. "Jasper, as much as I like it; and, trust me, I really do; I don't think you should call me 'Baby' anymore."

A look of hurt crossed his eyes but was quickly blinked away. "I'll keep that in mind." His voice was short and I instantly regretted saying anything.

"Jasper, wait." I stopped walking and clung to his arm and back. "I..." I started and stopped several times. "I think it would be best I move back with Jake and Leah. We'll figure things out, but I can't keep staying with you and Edward."

"Why the hell not? Aren't we taking care of you? Did we say something? Do something? What the fuck, Bella?" His blue eyes seemed to flash with fire even as tears shimmered in the corners. "Just tell me what to do and we'll do it. Please, don't go."

With a fingertip pressed over his lips, I stopped him. "Jasper, you and Edward are doing everything right, even the smothering. That's why I can't stay." My words were a whisper; I couldn't find the strength to say them any louder. I lowered my hand as Jasper moved.

"What is the problem then?" He turned to face me and I could feel his body heat across the few inches separating us.

"I love our daughters. I am beyond happy and honored to be carrying them for you and Edward. Have no doubt that I will gladly and lovingly give them to the two of you. I would not, and could not, even consider denying you Allison and Ashley. But, I'm only human. I need a clean break, from all four of you."

Those strong hands, covered in scratches and paper cuts, ink-smudged and callused, cupped my cheeks. "Why all four of us? I'm sure you'll be glad to be rid of Edward and me. But why the girls? We've promised you as much time in their lives as you wish."

The intensity of his stare made me shake, and by some fatal mistake, I let my eyes drift down to his mouth. His lips were richly curved, as full as many women's, if not more so. They were pursed slightly as he tried to figure out what was going on in my head.

"Jasper, I need to leave because looking at you like this, all I can think about is kissing you."

I stepped back out of his grip and walked the last five feet into the building and Edward's waiting arms.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**It's been a rough week in the kitty household. My mother is in the hospital after a series of small strokes and congestive heart failure. My father's best friend since childhood passed away on Sunday after a short battle with stomach cancer. The next chapters may have some delays depending on if my mother's health improves and if not, what arrangements need to be made. I will attempt to keep my profile page updated should my posting schedule change drastically. Until further notice, however, I am attempting to update this story each Wednesday until it completes at roughly 10 chapters total. It may be complete at 9 chapters with an epilogue attached at the end of 9. I'm not certain yet as I completely re-wrote the next two chapters and need to redo the epilogue to reflect the changes.  
**


	8. 7: Ikkyo EPOV

Thank you all so very much for your generosity in reviewing. I'm posting this a day early as thanks because I didn't have time to reply to them. I will send out review replies to all reviews of this chapter, including a preview of the next chapter: Transitions.

I'll put a Kaia warning on this one, although, MM1 and I didn't have any issues with it. Love you, Fuhkaia Mama Megan.

**Chapter 7: EPOV: Ikkyo**

**30 weeks**

The slight scratch of Jasper's fingernails on my scalp was heavenly. "Mmm. If you keep that up, Jazz, I may make you late for work." There never has been, nor will there be a sensation like that of Jasper washing my hair.

Warm lips parted over my shoulder and then he pushed us under the shower's hot water. "I'm working from home today; I can be as late as I need to be. However, I think Bella's bladder may argue with us spending too much more time in here, Sweet cheeks." His hands slicked the bubbles from my rinsed out shampoo down my sides to my ass. A slippery finger slid between my cheeks and rubbed over my well-used entrance. "I'm pretty sure she was happy to not hear our love-making while I was away."

Jasper had spent three weeks in Iowa helping his father and several of their neighbors rebuild after a tornado caused substantial wind damage. Luckily, no one had completely lost a home. Video conferencing all night long so we woke up seeing one another on our laptop screens wasn't enough and I had cried like a child when he came into sight at the airport. Once I had him home and he'd given a quick greeting to Bella, Jasper had advanced on me like a lion stalking its prey. We didn't surface from our bedroom until noon the next day. In the three days he's been home, I'm not sure we'd gone more than ten hours without reaching for one another.

"I think we more than made up for it your first day back." I'm pretty sure we had sex at least four times that night. Any time one of us woke, warm hands sought willing flesh.

"You never said; did you and Bella talk about what she had said outside the clinic?" Jasper had been upset Bella would not discuss the topic at all, turning mute if he so much as brought it up. He and I, of course, had a frank talk about the entire situation. We knew about polyamorous relationships and had seen a 'successful' one; but, it would be hard enough working on our two person relationship, let alone adding in a third and those complications, while being new parents.

Even though thoughts of Bella made my stomach fill with butterflies, it was Jasper who made my heart beat and my soul soar. "Yes, we did discuss her wanting to kiss you." I left it there, waiting to hear Jasper's response.

Tilting my face up into the water, hundreds of icy pinpricks cut into my flesh as Jasper turned the water to cold and then off. "And?" he asked. I was distracted by the tan lines along his arms and legs against his pale torso; so, Jasper asked again more sharply.

"She wants to kiss me, too." I opened the shower door and reached for the towel. "After she apologized and blamed her hormones for about an hour, I finally got a word in edge-wise. I told Bella that we had feelings growing for her, also."

Jasper toweled off his hair and began swiping the terrycloth down his arms and chest. Three weeks of hard labor had put his body back into peak form, and I pinched a spare inch on my side as I wrapped the towel around me. I'd have to hit the gym a little more in the last weeks before Ashley and Allison arrived.

"I like you softer, Edward. It's nice having a little cushion around your hips when I grab you. You were far too skinny when we first met. You're human, Edward. I like being reminded that we're getting older _together_. As much as I grouch about you finding my gray hairs, I am happy that it is you finding them. I love you, Edward."

The scratch of his stubble reminded me of days not filled with doctor visits, worrying about our daughters, their mother, or what future had in store for us. We knew we'd be together, and stronger for whatever trials and tribulations came into our lives, but the exact path ahead of us was yet unknown.

"Now that your self-conscious moment has passed, Edward, can you tell me what Bella's response was to your admission?" Jasper's fingers moved to the top of my towel and slid inside to stroke the sensitive skin above my cock. He knew he was manipulating me with sex; his lips were curved ever so slightly as his eyes bore into mine, willing me to divulge everything.

"She thinks what we feel is just gratitude and we're confusing it with lust and love. Bella has decided it's the biological response of a male wanting to take care of a pregnant female. She thinks that even if we had developed real feelings for her, she would leave as soon as possible so that she wouldn't mess up our relationship. I even had Peter and Alice come over one night for supper to talk about their marriage, but she didn't want to hear it. She is determined to just be a distant aunt to the girls; cards, occasional photos, and the rare visit." It was a punch to the gut thinking of her living in New York with Charlotte.

The rug was soft and the long strands caught between my toes as I stepped out onto it. It had been one of Bella's requests as she hated our natural fiber one. I will admit, it _is_ much more pleasant to step out onto, but it smells like wet dog if you don't hang it up after a few showers.

The hollow thump of knuckles on the door had both of us jumping. "Can you two hurry up? Rose is coming over with breakfast and I really need to pee and take a shower before she gets here."

Jasper opened the door and I quickly made sure we were both covered. "Why is Rosalie bringing breakfast?"

Bella peeked her head in, one hand on the door frame, the other rubbing a spot on her stomach where I could see one of our daughters stretching her legs. "Because I'm sick of your healthy cereal and protein shakes. She is bringing some sausage, egg, and cheese sandwiches from a diner along with a carton of cheap orange juice."

Jasper started to complain and I put my hand over his mouth. "Let it go, Honey. Mama wants what she wants. Let your sister do some running. We sure did it enough for Emmett and Rosalie when she was pregnant." Memories of racing through Schaumburg, trying to beat the clock, so Rosalie could have a Portillo's Italian Beef sandwich came to mind.

"Speaking of what 'Mama wants', I would really love for one of you to pick me up a cherry limeade from Sonic the next time you drive by one on the way home. Please?" The moment she batted those dark, long, lashes, she knew we were goners.

I could already see a twenty minute detour with a cooler filled with ice in my near future. "Yes, Bella." No amount of discussion could sway her mind, so Jasper and I just set out each day to try our best to not call Bella by any "pet names," knowing they bothered her.

"You know what;" Jasper said. "I have to run out to that side of Golf Road later today for some errands. I can grab us all lunch."

"Well," Bella gave us both her 'hopeful' aka manipulative smile as she spoke, "what if you drove up to Gurnee, picked up another basket of my books to keep me busy, and then stopped at the Lake Zurich Sonic on your way back?"

Jasper's laughter warmed me as he turned around and pulled me into his arms. "I think our little lady has been planning this for a while. I've gotta get these plans done; can you handle that trip? I can't take two to three hours out of my morning."

I faked a sigh. "I guess I can go get Bella a slushy. We're not having junk food for lunch though. Bella, if you'll write me up a list, I can get everything you want."

She bounced onto her tiptoes and back down. "Great! Now, can you both get out of the bathroom? I really need to pee!"

**Two hours later**

After breakfast with Rosalie, finally getting a list of what books Bella wanted beyond "something that looks good", and getting the address for Sonic to pick up on my way home, I pulled into the parking lot of Bella's apartment building. Mister Clearwater, the several building complex's maintenance man, was weeding the flower bed when I walked up the side walk.

"How are you doing, Mister Bella's friend? Everything okay with her? I saw that man of hers around yesterday." I could almost hear the arthritis in Mister Clearwater's joints creaking as he stood up slowly and dusted off his hands before offering one to me to shake.

"I'm just fine, Mister Clearwater. Bella is doing pretty well. She's thirty weeks pregnant. The doctor was really happy with the way the twins have been growing at our last doctor visit and is letting Bella up a little more. Now, about who was in her house..." _Please don't let it be James. Bella does not need that stress right now._

"That tall fellow in a leather jacket and ponytail; not Jake, the blond one. He came here after Bella first moved in and she said they'd split up. Looks like they're back together. He had a box wrapped up all nice like and said he had a present for her. Had a key and everything."

_Damn you, Renee._ "Thanks, Mister Clearwater. I'll make sure that Bella knows he was here, and if he left the present, I'll take it to her. If you see him around, make sure he calls Bella first before going in. She's funny about people going in without her permission. As far as I know, she was not aware he had been here." She'll never find out if I can help it; Bella does not need that stress.

My cellphone was already out of its holder as I walked up the sidewalk to her "townhouse" aka a well-taken care of apartment. "Emmett, where are you?" I asked before he even said 'hello' into the phone upon answering.

"I'm on the I, headed back from Wisconsin, just past the toll. Thank the fucking traffic gods for the IPass. What's up? Babies okay?"

"Yeah. Can you get off on Grand Ave in Gurnee? Bella's ex was at her apartment. I don't know what I'm walking in on and would like a little intimidation factor showing up if it's as bad as I'm expecting." He stayed on the phone with me as I walked into what seemed more a war zone than a once cozy home. Furniture was upturned, lamps smashed. James definitely was the one who had been here. Lipstick written _whore_ and eyeliner drawn _I'll still take you back_ decorated the walls.

"Fuck."

"That bad, bro?" I stood there, nodding with the phone against my head. "Edward, I can't hear you nodding, despite the rocks in your head. How bad?"

"Jasper might kill James on sight and I _know_ Jake will track the bastard down. I'm calling the cops."

I hung up the phone when Emmett said he was pulling off the Interstate and only ten minutes away. Careful to not touch anything, I walked through the small apartment, checking everything. No windows or doors seemed broken, but what clothing she hadn't taken was strewn across the bedroom area as if a tornado had touched down in just that corner. The Japanese screen separating that portion of the apartment was no longer functional; several spaces had holes the size of a man's fist. Her feather and down quilt had been torn and the index file of her address book was torn out as if James had been looking for something.

I knew from prior conversations, Bella had kept anything about Jasper and me strictly to a password protected file on her laptop- and that was at our house. Even as I reached for the phone on Bella's kitchen counter, I began dialing the number for my home on my cell. My heart was pounding and hands grew sweaty as I saw a car pull up front that was not Emmett's. As Jasper answered, I knew things were about to go bad.

I dialed 911 on the house phone and waited for it to connect as I let out a rush of everything in my head to Jasper. "Jazzy, honey, it's me. I'm at Bella's. James gave the place a not-so-great makeover. I think he just pulled up. Emmett's on his way, and I'm..." I paused and listened to the automated voice, "waiting my turn on nine-one-one. Keep all the door locks and make sure the security system is on."

"Nine-one-one dispatch, what is your emergency?"

"This is Edward Cullen; I'm at the Greystem Circle Apartments, just off County Road W-twenty-seven. Someone broke into the apartment while the tenant, Bella Swan, was not home. Many items have been destroyed and I'm not certain if anything was taken. The tenant is on medically ordered bed rest at my home and sent me here to pick up some of her belongings. I believe that the one responsible for the break-in is her ex-husband as he was seen on site by the apartment maintenance man. I also believe that he is still in the area as a strange vehicle is out front."

"I show your address as twenty twenty-five Greystem Circle. Is this correct?"

I racked my brain. "I think so. That sounds right. Bella showed me where her apartment was and I just mapped it in the GPS. She's in unit 126 I think. It's the first unit in the building to the left of the main parking lot. First floor and the door is open."

She continued talking as Jasper began panicking on the other phone. "Edward, get out of there. Come home. Don't stay; the police can deal with it."

Even as Jasper spoke, the door opened wider. I set both phones down onto the counter and turned around. A rather well-built man walked in, dark blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, and a cruel smile on his face. "So, you're the guy who knocked up my girl."

"She's not your girl, but I guess you could put it that way. Bella and I will be genetically linked in our shared parenthood." Even as fear for my life shook me to my bones, I had to keep Bella, Jasper, and our girls safe. I couldn't give James any information to use against me.

The light from the door and windows gave James an almost ethereal look as it highlighted wayward strands of his hair. It could not soften the sneer his lips had curled into. "I know where my whore is. She's with your fancy little boyfriend about a half hour from here. I've seen you going in and out of the house with her. I've been watching all of you for the past five months."

With his eyes still on me, he pulled a knife out of his pocket and flipped it open. "So, did you knock her up the old-fashioned way? Did you see the scar down her right hip from when she left me the first time?"

The room swam as my blood pressure spiked. He had hurt Bella.

"I'll have to give her a match set when she comes back to me after she has your bastard children."

"They aren't bastards if you know who the father is." My voice remained calm even as I was looking for something I could use a jo. I was no longer in the mood to use my Aikido training for deflection; I wanted to destroy the monster before me.

I found nothing I could use and readied myself to take on James' attack using only my body as defense. I knew he would rush me. Given what I had heard of him from Bella, he would try to hurt me, but not kill until he'd gotten a message to her. When his arm raised, my body went into position. I knew how to deal with this. He lunged, as expected, and in an effort to disarm him, I missed the fist coming at my nose.

It hurt, but no more than when the drunken guys got a hold of Jasper and me. The numbness quickly spreading across my face, tears clouding my vision, and blood on my lips told me my nose was broken. Even as I longed to wipe my face, I grasped his wrist as if he were the uke in class, and went through the motions which were second nature to me. James' elbow and wrist felt almost snappable in my rage, yet I let my anger flow through me; it had no place in my defense.

Getting him to the ground was much harder than pinning my Sempai, who has often said 'you always come back to Ikkyo', the first technique. Keeping him there, however, was easily done as I applied pressure to his shoulder and wrist which were at a sharp angle behind his back. James tried to buck me off his back, but I was strong enough to hold him there as long as I needed. His knife-hand was immobilized, and help was on the way. I was going to be okay; Bella would be okay. He would never hurt anyone again.

_I could kill him and claim it was an accident in self-defense._ The thought went as fast as it came. I could not do that to someone Bella had loved, no matter how black his heart may be.

"Edward?" I chanced a short glance up and saw Emmett looking in the door. He saw me and let out a line of curses that would have Rosalie washing his mouth out with soap for a week. "Did _he_ do that to you and the place?"

I nodded and pushed harder on his shoulder, and tasted blood as I smiled when he screamed. He would hurt for what he's done. "I'm not done with you, James. I think you deserve to feel even a small bit of the pain you've caused Bella." Turning to Jasper's brother-in-law, "Emmett, can you take the knife for me before I accidentally bury it in his back?"

"You wouldn't! You're too much of a pussy."

Even I grimaced as Emmett cracked his neck. There are few words he hates more than 'pussy'. "Now, see here... James, was it? James, I don't like it when you disrespect women; and, I really don't like it when you use a part of their glorious anatomy as a slur against a man who is worth a million of you. It would be mighty nice of you to apologize right now before I use your head as a punching bag. Eddie, is it still called a 'punching bag' if I'm kicking it?"

"I'm not sure, Emm." The police needed to arrive soon, before Emmett killed James. He had grown close with Bella in the past twenty weeks; truly having taken her on as his little sister.

James began shouting as Emmett landed his first kick in James' ribs, just above where I had my thigh holding his body to the floor. "You cock-sucking mother-fucker. I'm going kill you, Bella, your blond boy toy, and your children. I'll kill all of them first, making you watch; and then I'll leave you to bleed to death, looking at their faces as you die."

A well-placed kick to James' shoulder, as I pushed down, had him screaming when two Police officers came in the door, with EMTs outside at a safe distance.

"Neither of us are armed; he may be," I said as I nodded down at James' prone body. "He had a knife on him that's on the floor over there."

**Several hours later, as Edward finally gets home**

Jasper met me at the door, eyes still red from crying. "You stupid son-of-a-bitch, sorry, Esme; if you ever do this to me again, I will kick your ass, Edward." He pulled me into his arms and I lifted my chin carefully over Jasper's shoulder so that I didn't bump my bandaged nose. The love of my existence sobbed into the side of my neck. "I was so scared I was going to lose you. I told you to get out of there, Edward." Loving hands pounded against my back weakly and then clung to me as Jasper's knees went out and we landed on the floor together.

"I'm okay, Jazz. He got a punch in on my nose, but I had him pinned right after. I'm okay, Love. I'm here." I stroked his hair, letting the waves and their sweet scent take me to that place of inner perfection I always found when with Jasper. "I'm here, Jasper. I'm here."

I kissed his neck, his shoulder, his jaw; anywhere I could reach. I could practically taste the fear upon his skin. "You're not going to lose me, Love. I'll always be here." Jasper turned to look at me, his fingers coming up to my cheeks, mapping out the edge of the tape and brushed over the gauze packing my nose. "It looks far worse than it feels. They taped it mostly so I'd stop touching it. The doctor didn't think it was that bad. He said my nose may be a little crooked, but that's a small price to pay. They gave me some hospital strength ibuprofen and sent me on my way. I only let them look at me because I knew you'd make me go back in later if I hadn't."

The heat of his face overwhelmed my senses as his lips brushed once, twice, and then a third time against mine. "I love you, you idiot." Jasper's words were whispers come from the bare essence of his soul. "I had to listen to all that, and not know if you were coming home to me; wondering if I was hearing you die."

"What _were _you thinking, Edward?" My mother's arms came around me on one side as my father joined in on the other. I was surrounded by three of the most important people in my life.

After a lot of discussion over what happened to James, including the fact the nine-one-one dispatch had a recording of his threats against Bella, Jasper, Allison, Ashley, and myself; along with Police witness of James' declaration, my father declared me 'okay,' which stopped my fiance's mothering. We were all sitting down on the couch, sipping instant hot chocolate, when I heard the soft click of a doorknob turning. It all came crashing down on me, when Bella stepped out of her bedroom, one hand on her belly, the other on the wall, as she waddled out to join us.

If James had killed me, Jasper would have been raising the girls without me. They wouldn't have had one of their fathers. I forced down the urge to panic and held out my arms to Bella. I couldn't upset her; not when we were so far into the pregnancy. "I'm okay, Bella. See?"

She began to cry, silent tears running over rounded cheekbones that spilled over the edge of her jaw onto her collarbone. "You... You... You... idiot!" As she leaned at the hip and waist to hug me, I was not expecting her lips to land on mine.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**If you like the Rose/Edward pairing, Mischief-Maker1 and I uploaded a two-chapter story 'Need You Now' to our shared profile, KittenMischief. It was the winning entry in Team Fire and Ice's A Southern TwiNight Contest. **

**Do you want to see the scene between Jasper and Edward on the kitchen counter during their vacation away? It was their unplanned "coming out" to Esme, Carlisle, and Jasper's father. It is being offered exclusively in the FGB auction this summer. I will include it as a bonus to the winning bidder on the one-shot and multi-chapter stories. If you don't have much money, but want a chance at winning- please consider joining TeamFiberKitty teamfiberkitty (dot) blogspot (dot) com for information on joining. **

**I've submitted a collection of drabbles titled ' A Year and a Day ' to the Fics4Nashville compilation. They are small views into 13 months between Jasper and Edward. Yes, I brought my Domsper back. Those of you who enjoyed him in Dark Salvation can get a fresh look at a different Domsper in this. I am uncertain if I'll be posting it or leaving it exclusive to Fics4Nash.**

**Also, there is still time to make a donation for the e-book benefit. I have original fiction being included in the anthology. Help prevent acts of violence. Erase hate- embrace love. ebookbenefit (dot) blogspot (dot) com  
**


	9. 8: Transitions JPOV

Kaia warning.

After this chapter, there is one more chapter and an epilogue.

**Chapter 8: JPOV Transitions**

**36 weeks, 3 days  
**

She hadn't told us, but I knew Bella was still contracting. She had whimpered all night long. When I finally gave up sleeping at two AM and went in to her room to rub her back, she wrapped her arms around me and started snoring. At least one of us could sleep. Given what her body was going through, I couldn't complain. She needed more sleep than I did. At her thirty-six week ultrasound, Doctor Carr said Bella was showing some dilation and thinning, but that was normal at this point. The twins were both over five pounds; Ashley was most likely over six.

Ally was catching up, but still smaller than Ashley. Our doctors thought everything would be fine, though. They kept both babies well-monitored. The non stress tests were beginning to annoy Bella. She hated being strapped to monitors, and even more so when she had to be on her back in the recliner for twenty minutes, sometimes more, depending on how well the girls behaved.

Today, they were not behaving at all. "Twin B is not holding still. She keeps moving away from the monitor. I need to track her heart rate for at least five minutes or your doctor will send you back down again."

Bella rocked slightly side to side with her hands on her stomach, feeling the girls. "That's Ally today. She moved up higher when Ashley went head down."

At yesterday's ultrasound, we were given the amazing news both girls were head first. Our chances of a vaginal birth were improving. Bella's OB was adamant she wouldn't make it to thirty-four weeks and would need a c-section. We had just passed the thirty-six week mark and so far everything was looking like we could at least "try"a vaginal delivery.

Edward had to work, so I was the only one with her and I leaned down and positioned the monitor where I thought it needed to be. "Girls," I softly said, "be good for the nice nurse. We just want to make sure you're healthy." The nurses pressed a buzzer, making a loud _zap _sound near the monitor. Both girls began to move away from the sound. As I touched Bella's stomach, I felt it tighten and relax twice in a few minutes. "Bella, are you feeling okay?"

The two nurses watched the screen and printout for a bit. "Miss Swan, are you feeling any pain or pressure in your stomach and back?"

Her face was paling slightly and a sheen of sweat was breaking out across her forehead. "I've had a backache since yesterday. It comes and goes. After I had a lot of water with supper, the Braxton Hicks ones had stopped. It's gotten worse being in the chair."

After three minutes passed, I felt her stomach turn hard beneath my hands and then my daughters' kicking. "Sweetheart, I think you're contracting. It feels like our girls are ready to come out." The nurses confirmed by looking at the printout which was showing a contraction every three and a half minutes for twenty-five minutes. "I better call Edward."

"Just wait until we know for sure. He has students this morning."

xxxxxxxxxx

"Why didn't you call me earlier?" Edward was panting as he sat down in the chair across from Bella's bed.

I pointed over at Bella. "Mama wouldn't let me. But, the doctor says we'll be having the babies in the next day or so. Bella was at a three so they won't let us go. It's just a matter of time."

The small gust of air that hit my cheek brought my attention back to Bella as she began her deep breathing. We'd taken the hospital's labor and delivery classes as well as had a Bradley method instructor come to our home. Given our special circumstances with the twins and Bella needing more rest, Maria had agreed to work with us at home. I was so proud of Bella as she stuck to her plan to avoid an epidural until the doctor made her get it.

We had a flash test for GBS and rejoiced when it came back negative. They were only good for forty-eight hours following the test and had opted to save it for when Bella was admitted to the hospital instead of worrying about something that changes rapidly. Bella had demanded I take her out for lunch before she went upstairs to be checked and I took her back to the diner where it had all begun.

With as much space as the girls were taking up, I wasn't sure where Bella packed away all that food. There must be some special extra-dimensional space soon-to-be mothers can put nutrition to store for during labor. She ate a small grilled steak, baked potato, cup of soup, ate some of my ribs and fries, plus asked for dessert. I had them pack fruit salad, which she nibbled at in the car on the way home to shower, pick up her bag, and finished on the way to the hospital.

She only let me call Edward when we were moved from triage to our room. _I am going to be a father; this is it._

Edward looked over at me and smiled, his hand reaching for mine to squeeze. "I know," he mouthed. He always seemed to know what was going through my head.

The nurse we'd been assigned until suppertime came in to check on Bella once more before her shift ended. "Can I get the three of you anything? Do you need me to have the anesthesiologist called? Stefan is very nice; you met his counterpart earlier to get your IV." They hadn't been able to get her IV in easily and had the anesthesiologist do it after what Bella offered of "three free pokes before (she) got a turn with them."

"Until my doctor tells me I have to get the epidural, I don't need anything." Bella was nearly growling; she was as irritated- no, more so- than we were over the question. She hated the concept of treating a natural event as a disease. We all understood the risks of a twin pregnancy, of pregnancy in general; and knew the benefits of medical technology, but sometimes, you must have faith in the human body's ability to do what it is meant to do.

If Ashley, Allison, or Bella showed any signs of distress, we'd be the first ones signing the paperwork for her to have the Caesarean. As it was, as soon as Bella was dilated to a five, she'd been strong-armed into agreeing to the epidural, just in case of an emergency during delivery.

"I'm going to check you one more time before I go."

Edward and I moved to the other side of the curtain as the nurse pulled it, although we both had a hand reaching around the side. Bella had reached around, seeking our support even if we weren't watching.

"Bella, you're progressing really well. You were at a three, maybe three and a half, last time; I'd say you're easily a five, if not six, now. I think it's time to call your doctor about that epidural and start getting things ready. You're moving right along."

Bella spoke up, her voice sounding thick. "Is it normal to progress that quickly? It's only been an hour since the last time you checked me."

The light coming in the window cast shadows of the nurse on the thin sheet of a curtain. "Every woman is different. Given the extra weight against your cervix from carrying two babies, your body has been preparing itself a bit longer for this moment; your uterus and cervix are ready to be done. I wish I could stay on, but it could honestly still be morning when they come. Your next nurse will take excellent care of you; I promise. Let me get your chart updated and page your doctor to come check you."

Bright green eyes filled my vision as Edward stepped in front of me, letting go of Bella's hand to wrap his arms around me. "It's almost time, Jazz."

The snap of latex gloves being removed gave us a moment's notice before the curtain was pulled back. Bella smiled at us, her eyes filled with what I hoped were happy tears. "Hey there, Pretty Mama."

She managed a laugh. "I'm not feeling too pretty right now, Jasper. I feel pretty fucking miserable."

From within my arms, Edward let out a protest. "Is that anyway to talk when our children are about to be born?"

I pushed him away, laughing. "Bella, let me move before you throw anything at him. If it's not too much trouble, don't hit him in the nose; the bruising has finally let up." I said as I backed up.

**Five hours later, nine-thirty PM**

"How can you expect me to move up higher on the bed when I can't feel anything below my waist?" Bella had turned into a full-fledged harpy after they gave her the epidural, and I didn't blame her. She'd fought the lack of sensation by constantly moving her left big toe, the only part on her lower body she could still feel and have some control over.

Edward and I had changed into scrubs, and he'd taken out his contacts. The hospital air was too dry, forcing him to put on his glasses. The green of his scrubs brought out the color of his eyes and all I could see was love in them as he looked from Bella to me and then to the monitor.

"Alright, Bella; I need you to push. You said you're still having some sensation of pressure, so I need you to focus on pushing against that pressure." The OB/GYN had one hand on Bella's stomach, the other pushing down against Bella's perineum. We could see everything in the mirror above; and the fluid that came out had Edward and I both looking away.

"Your water just broke, Baby." The other OB in the room brought in the ultrasound machine and quickly verified that the amniotic fluid was from Baby A, which right now was Ashley. She'd wedged her head in lower than Allison's during labor so she could be first. "Ashley's coming first."

"Now, Bella; time to push." The nurse counted off as Edward and I helped Bella curl forward while she pushed. She continued to pant out her breath and gave a death glare when the doctor told her to hold it in.

The other physician moved down and then pointed up at the mirror. "You're one great pusher, Bella. Take a deep breath and give us another one."

On the next push, it all changed. I could see a head. My daughter's head was in view. My baby. Our baby. Edward was smiling as he curled his lips in, almost biting them to stay quiet. His hand reached for mine as we held Bella up, our fingers intertwining. It was just him and me in that moment.

"Rest a moment and then try again, Bella."

Bella's eyes were closed and she seemed more calm than I'd ever seen her. She wasn't mentally with us in the room; she had turned completely inward, focused on the babies and what she could tell from her body. She needed the doctor's hint about when the contractions hit, but Bella was still in command of her body.

I was in awe as she took a breath, laid back against our arms, and then curled forward once again. "And here we go..." The doctor trailed off as Bella grunted and pushed. Her skin bowed out as the head crowned, yet Bella didn't stop when her doctor told her to take a breath. She pushed again, and made a keening sound of triumph as the head came out. Her eyes opened, met ours in the mirror, before she looked down at our emerging daughter.

Bella panted, her chest moving rapidly against our hands as we supported her in the culmination of our ten months together from meeting in person until today. The doctor began suctioning out Ashley's mouth, her finger slipping beneath the chin to make sure the cord had not wrapped around her neck. Bella pushed again, yet Edward and I were both lost in watching the miracle at the foot of the bed. One shoulder, and then another, came out; and even as we watched, the alien shaped head seemed to soften slightly, appearing more human.

A gasp. It was the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard.

A sharp cry, followed by another of indignation, as Ashley's body slipped free of her mother's womb. The dance of mother and daughter had completed for one of our children. The doctor quickly cut the cord, having already said the girls would need to be seen by the doctors right away. She was shown to Bella and us, before being handed to the waiting neonatalogist. Ashley was not five feet away from me, but it was too far. The urge to push staff out of my way was so strong, it was only Edward's grip on me that kept me there with him and Bella.

_We still have one more to deliver_, his eyes seemed to say as he gave me a smile. He knew me better than I knew myself.

"It could take a while to delivery Baby B. It is normal for anytime up to twenty minutes before we get concerned."

Bella began touching her stomach. "No. She's ready. I'm ready." Bella looked to Edward and then to me, her eyes bloodshot from the pressure of pushing. "Let's meet Allison." She closed her eyes, and drifted back into that sacred space for mothers to which we were not privy.

She pushed on the next contraction, beginning anew the struggle to move life from within her to the outside world. The head moved down much more quickly, the passage already stretched from her sister's birth. A second push and a gush of fluid was accompanied by the head dropping suddenly.

"The second sac has ruptured without our intervention. You're doing great, Bella." The second obstetrician reached for Bella's hand and squeezed. She went without any visible notice from Bella.

I looked over at Ashley, who continued to wail and thrash her arms and legs. Her eyes were open and she kept moving, seeking her mother's warmth. I hated knowing she would be denied that. Bella was going to stay with my parents for a week, and then was leaving for New York with her cousin, Charlotte. She didn't want to hold the babies and "get attached," even though it was already too late for that.

"Here she comes," Edward said to encourage Bella, who was beginning to show her exhaustion. I looked back just as the doctor caught our daughter who came out a pink wrinkled mess with dark hair, just like her sister. She began to cry as the doctor clamped the umbilical cord, and she turned the scissors around and offered them to Edward. He looked to me as we lowered Bella back down onto the bed.

"Go ahead, Edward. Cut the cord." They _were_ biologically his.

"Together," he said as he reached for my hand. With his fingers holding the scissors, and mine wrapped around his hand, we cut Allison's cord.

**In the NICU, two hours later**

The pink index cards on the door read _Ashley Carlissa_ and _Allison Marie_. We had quickly replaced the "Baby Swan" cards before Bella was released to come up here; if she would ever come. She had sent us to be with the girls as soon as they were wheeled out of the delivery room.

On the sad side of things, Edward had the binder of adoption paperwork in his overnight bag. His hand was inside the isolette, smiling at Ally as her fingers wrapped around his. Due to being born at thirty-six weeks, the neonatal staff wanted to keep the girls overnight for monitoring in case they needed help breathing. So far, they were doing beautifully and breathing room air.

The staff had small bottles for us, with formula, although the babies tried to refuse it at first. I didn't blame them; it smelled awful. They wanted Bella; no, they needed her. To be honest, we needed her. Ever since she kissed Edward, things had been different. There had been no other kisses, or even discussion about things, but she just fit. She added an element to our relationship that hadn't been there. It wasn't that something was missing, just that we had created a space for her.

"We need Bella." Edward's voice was quietly confident.

I nodded. "I know. They need her, too. She needs to see them. She'll regret it if she doesn't at least hold them each once."

"I'll go talk to her," Edward offered.

Forty-five minutes and two sticky, black, tar filled diapers later, Edward wheeled Bella into the room. Both smelled of the hand sanitizing soap from the hand-washing station at the entrance to the NICU. Her eyes were red, as were Edward's, when they came in.

"Hi," she offered.

"Hi, yourself. Thanks for coming to see them. They're not wanting to take their bottles of formula."

Bella moved, with Edward's and my help, and sat in the chair between the two isolettes. I'm surprised she didn't get whiplash from looking at Ashley and then Allison, and back again. "Can I..." She trailed off, not knowing how to ask. We both knew what she meant.

"Allison just fell asleep, so I'll get Ashley out first." My daughter felt so fragile in my hands as I slid a hand beneath her neck, and one under her butt, and lifted her to my chest. I settled her into Bella's arms and the crystal tears of a mother's breaking heart poured over her cheeks.

"Ashley, this is your mother." Edward stroked the rounded cheek and our daughter turned to root for his finger. Her lips pursed and began to suckle at his fingertip. "She's hungry."

"They're always ready to eat at this stage, idiot." Bella had continued to call Edward an idiot after the day with James. She moved to hand Ashley to Edward.

"Why don't you feed her, Bella? There are more ready-to-feed bottles in the cart's drawer over there." I unscrewed the cap and replaced it with a single-use nipple. "Just rub it against her lips; she'll do the rest."

Even though she never intended to have this moment, Bella relaxed into the chair and seemed to be enjoying feeding our daughter. Her eyes were on Ashley's and a smile of perfect serenity graced her face.

Ashley's tongue pushed at the nipple after she had a mouthful of the formula, letting it dribble out past her lips. "Come on, Ash, you need to eat." Bella's finger brushed over the cheek that was deeply pink like her own, and our daughter's rosebud mouth opened.

"She doesn't want the bottle, Bella." Edward looked to Bella. "She wants you. She can probably smell the colostrum your body has been making.

"I can't," she cried softly. "It's going to be hard enough. You don't get it. If I feed the girls, it will be that much harder to leave. I love you both and I love our daughters more than anything in the world. I can't do this to you and Jasper. I can't mess up what you have. It's true and pure and it's beautiful. I can't screw up what you have. You love each other. You're perfect together."

Her admission moved my heart to beg. I knelt down in front of Bella, one hand in Edward's, and the other on Bella's knee. "You don't have to do anything with us to stay. We can set you up a full apartment in the basement. We can provide room and board for you to help take care of our daughters. It would be unconventional, but we have gotten so close to you in these past nine months."

She was shaking her head as I spoke. "I can't. Don't ask me to do that."

Edward joined me on his knees and rested his head on her leg. "Please give our girls what they need; no one else can. Give us what we need; become a part of our family."


	10. 9: When the Trial Period Ends BPOV

**Chapter 9: When the Trial Period Ends...**

**BPOV**

Six months. I couldn't believe that Ashley and Ally turned six months old yesterday. I never knew that I could love anyone the way I had grown to love them. The girls _and_ the boys.

We never transitioned from 'just friends' to being in a relationship. Jasper had kissed me once and said there would be no more unless I chose to be with them as something more. There had been no further kisses with Edward save the one when he'd kicked James' ass.

James' threats had been recorded, and with the damage he'd done to my apartment, his father's money and their attorney could not keep him from a few years in prison. That had been a recent, and extremely happy, development. In the interim, Edward had insisted upon a restraining order against James so he could not come near any of us.

I had spent the six months since the girls' birth living in the basement apartment. I had a bedroom for myself and a separate nursery, although I'd had the boys move the crib into my bedroom. I left the futon in the guestroom and had even smuggled a small pull-out sofa down there with Peter's help. Jasper and Edward were none the wiser until the night Jazz answered the call from the the furniture store asking if we were happy with our purchase.

My love for the men had developed during pregnancy and blossomed into something undeniable postpartum. Watching them with Ashley and Allison filled me with an unrivaled joy that I cannot even begin to explain. Jasper and Edward were born to be fathers; they were naturals. Jasper, who can seem so gruff and abrupt to strangers in his protection of Edward (and our daughters) was the one who could often be seen crying softly as he smiled at the sleeping babies.

**Flashback**

Jasper was kicked back against the pillows propped along the headboard, his feet crossed at the ankle. Ally had fallen asleep the moment he began singing to her and stroked her back. Ashley released my nipple and yawned before searching for her food once more.

Nursing twins was hard, but manageable with both Edward and Jasper's help. Many days I felt like little more than a milk machine, but the boys found ways to pamper me. A foot massage while I nursed the twins, extra sleep if I pumped a bottle the night before so they handled an entire feeding, and if they were home, they helped with every diaper and feeding.

True to their word, the boys put a minimum of two hundred dollars a week into a separate savings and checking account for me, plus gave me free use of their funds. In many ways, I was an emotionally-invested wet nurse. In the months of pregnancy, I never imagined actually being a mom. I knew I'd be a mother, biologically, but had not expected to actually mother a child, let alone two.

The girls were all Edward. Their hair was dark auburn and unruly to the point I gave up doing anything with it; they loved to pull their sister's hair, never their own. I was happy to see their eyes turn a soft green color once the newborn-blue had faded. There were slight differences, a point to the ears on one, a small freckle the other.

"You're doin a good job, Mama," Jasper sleepily whispered. Edward had been out late with his parents, working on some secret, leaving the two of us with the girls. "We'd be lost without you."

I shook my head and laid back into Edward's pillow. "You'd be up late, with an armload of bottles and diapers, and probably a bit more sleep deprived, but you'd be fine. I just make it easier."

When Ashley turned away, a small amount of milk running out the corner of her mouth, Jasper reached over with the burp rag, his hand accidentally bumping my breast. Between labor, delivery, and nursing Ashley and Ally, I'd given up on modesty around them. There was little they hadn't seen. During the first weeks of frustration, they even had to help me nurse the girls, holding my breast up as I tried to get the girls to latch properly.

Still, despite having two babies in bed with us, and just finished nursing, my nipple slowly hardened from the contact. _And damn if he didn't look smug as he watched._

"Are you happy here, Bella?" he asked as he got out of bed and walked Allison back to the nursery.

I thought about his question while he settled our daughter into the crib and came back for Ashley. She fussed a bit at being disturbed, but with some magic power that not even Edward had with the twins, Jasper had her soothed and asleep in the crib in mere moments.

He peeled off his t-shirt and slid beneath the covers with a yawn when he returned. In the dim glow from the moonlight coming in the window, I saw the sculpted muscles of his back peeking out above the blanket. My fingers twitched with the desire to trace out the delineations.

"Yes," I whispered into the darkness.

"Are you happy with us?" was his response. He turned over to face me as I nodded. "We could make this official. Edward, me, and you, the three of us, all together."

"Jasper, I've already said I can't. I won't mess up what the two of you have found. I know I forced your hand in adopting the girls so that I could leave if this arrangement didn't work. I meant it. I will not come between the two of you. You have a perfect, beautiful family. I wasn't meant to stay, but am blessed to have witnessed what you have."

The warmth of his palm moving up to cup my cheek was my undoing. "Don't fight this Bella. We love you. I know you feel something for us. Give in to it. My relationship with Edward is strong and you joining us can't rock that at all. If things don't work, we can step back and just be friends, but give us a try. Give _this_ a try."

Jasper closed the distance between us. His other arm slid beneath my waist; his hand curled around me, and he pulled me half onto him. The fingers that had cupped my face moved back to gently fist my hair at the base of my neck, tipping my face up to his. The cinnamon of his toothpaste was tastable on the air that separated us before his full lips covered mine. My hands were limp between us and I moved them to push against his chest, to stop this, but as I felt the strength in his muscles, the pebbling of his small nipples on my palms, I ended up grasping his shoulders.

I said his name on a gasp, and he echoed it, sliding his tongue into my mouth. It had been so long since I had been touched like this, wanted like this, or even since I wanted someone. My hands found his hair and pulled the way I had wanted to, the way I had seen Edward do it, and he made that throaty whimper I'd hear from beyond the bedroom door so many nights before the girls were born.

Jasper pulled back slightly, his nose brushed mine, and he looked into my eyes. "I can't do more than that without Edward being here; I promised. I_ won't _do more than that until you've decided to be with us. You're beautiful; I love you, and I want to make love to you- but only when all three of us are coming from a place of love, not lust."

A work-rough thumb brushed over my kiss swollen lips. "I can tell you want me and Edward, but until it comes from your heart and head in unison, not just body, we can't do this. Get some sleep, Bella. The girls will probably wake up when Edward comes in from Mom and Dad's."

**End Flashback**

A handful of red and pink rose petals across the bed completed the look I was going for. "Thank you, Alice."

Her tiny frame wrapped around mine in a tight hug, her pregnant belly making it difficult. She was not quite six months along, but with her small stature, she looked ready to deliver. "I am glad to help. You've needed to get your head out of your ass for a while, and the boys, well, they need all the help they can get. Peter and I have seen the changes in you since Ashley and Ally were born, but I'm not sure Jasper and Edward have. They're a little dense."

She went to the large bag where she had stored all she thought I'd need, and pulled out two small boxes. "This one is for if they say 'yes', or to make them say 'yes'; this box is for if they say 'no'."

Alice opened up the first box and pulled out a shimmering peach satin gown. The top of it was made of stretch lace with occasional small crystal. The bottom seemed to be acres of swirling satin. "It laces up the back, but Rosalie should be able to help you with that."

"What's in the other box?" I asked.

She shook her head and smiled, wrinkling up her nose in the process. "Nuh-uh. You can't see that unless they say no, or maybe a rainy day." Alice pulled her phone from her pocket and checked the screen. "Peter says they're on the way back from O'Hare, so I better make myself scarce. Remember, Rosalie and Emmett are good parents. They are just down in the basement with Kate and Garrett; and can take perfect care of your girls. If they need you, they'll come get you- whether you're dressed or not. Oh, and have fun!"

I stood in the center of Edward and Jasper's bedroom, looking around at what I'd done while they were away. I'd printed out my favorite wedding photo of them, had it matted and framed, and hung it beside the bed. The certificate of Jasper and Edward's marriage from their church's minister was put into a decorative frame surrounded with smaller photos of the two of them Esme and Carlisle had from the years of their relationship.

The boys had made things as official as possible, only the courts would not recognize their union. Hopefully, in time that could change. They had a small ceremony; outside of their immediate families, Ashley, Allison, and myself, only Peter and Alice came. I think that was how it was meant to be. Edward had been up late decorating the back yard of his parents house the night before, the night Jasper and I kissed. When we showed up for dinner, our closest family and friends were there to celebrate their union, a complete surprise to Jasper.

We drove to DeKalb after, and the boys led us to a restaurant that has some special significance to them- I could see it in their eyes as they looked around- and we celebrated all that the boys were and would be. Lawrence had not been out to see the girls yet, and due to his distance had been fairly determined to not be an active part of their lives. Once he saw them, however, he was caught under their spell. I think having grandchildren may help Lawrence be more present in Jasper's life, something both men desperately need.

For their honeymoon, they had decided to go back to the Cullens' vacation home for five days a month after the wedding. This time, their families would _not_ be interrupting. Apparently Carlisle and Esme had seen enough of the boys the first time. We video-conferenced a few times each day so they could see Ash and Ally, but it was never enough for them. I had been hard pressed to make them stay away the first time they heard one of the girls crying. Jasper had broken down, wanting to be back home with his "little darlin's".

_Twenty minutes_, I told myself as I looked around the room. The curtains were pulled, lamps had soft pink and plum scarves over them; candles were in place, ready to be lit; and all that was left was to get me ready. I looked at the nightgown. _I can do this._ I sounded much more confidant in my thoughts than I felt.

Rosalie came up and knocked on the hallway door. "It won't bite, you know. Alice called me, said you might need some help and would be too embarrassed to ask. Go change into it and I'll help you finish getting ready."

My next memories were a whirlwind of fabric, brushes, curling irons, perfume, and then lip gloss. Rosalie stepped back and smiled. "One Mother Goddess ready to seduce her way into my brother's life." She made a face. "Let's pretend I didn't say that. I do not want to know what you, my brother, and Edward do, okay?"

With a small smile, she left me to fidget. I'm certain that I pulled at the lace bodice at least ten times before I heard the front door open. Predictably, they headed for the nursery and peeked in.

"They're downstairs," I called from behind the mostly closed bedroom door.

"Do you have the monitor on?" No "hello" came from Edward, just a question about the baby monitor.

"No; Rose and Emmett are watching the girls. Why don't you come in here?"

Jasper was the first one through the door and he stopped. "I...I...I... That's a very nice dress, Bella."

"What he said," Edward added as he came in.

"Neither of you are being that eloquent. Maybe I should rethink my decision to be part of everything with you." The word 'girlfriend' just didn't seem right.

The smiles they wore matched mine, a balance of shyness and lust. Jasper set down his suitcase, but his eyes never left me. "You want to be with us?"

I watched as Edward slid his hand into Jasper's and looked up and down my body slowly, deliberately. "Jasper, I think I'm dreaming and we're still on our honeymoon. No matter how much we dreamed and wished to come home to Bella wanting us, I never thought it would happen. Pinch me, Jazz."

Needing to find some bravery to move things forward, I walked over to them and reached around to pinch Edward's ass. Stepping back, the boys followed with me until we were standing next to the bed.

"Explain, please." Jasper was blocking me on one side as he spoke, and tugged Edward around so that they had me blocked between their bodies and the bed.

I sat down and reached for their free hands. Rubbing my thumbs across their knuckles, I spoke the first things that came to mind. "Sometimes, you just have to jump in order to experience the best things in life. I love you both; you know that already. You've also made it clear that you both love me and want me. I've been lying to myself if I say that we've just been friends these past six months. Outside of one kiss each we haven't had any physical intimacy, but emotionally we have shared quite a lot."

Taking a breath to center myself, I found myself truly risking rejection for the first time. If they could not accept me, I would be letting go of them _and_ the girls. It would be too hard to stay and not have the whole picture.

"The two of you have been together since you were eighteen. You have faith in your relationship enough to marry one another. You have an amazing support system in your family and friends. If you think you're strong enough to add a third, I would be crazy to turn that down. Of course, given that I let two gay men knock me up with a set of twins and then fell in love with them, I may very well be crazy."

Their laughter was soft, but both had tears in their eyes. "I think we'll have to revisit the designation as 'gay' if we're both in love with a woman as well as one another. How about 'polyamorous hedonists'?"

I squeezed their hands, trying to figure out what was next. They were both tan, and I could see that neither had eaten well while away. Faces were slightly thinner, cheeks lightly peppered with stubble from shaving this morning, but their eyes were bright and the shadows from sleep deprivation had almost vanished entirely.

We stayed there, in complete silence, just looking at one another. It was Jasper who broke the staring contest by letting loose a barely there chuckle. "Given that lovely negligee you're wearing from Alice's design line, I'm assuming you have more in mind than just talking and maybe moving your stuff upstairs."

We'd have to talk about that later; I intended to keep my living space down below. I would spend a few nights each week with them, but wished to ensure we all had some of our usual privacy, and give Edward and Jasper time for it to be just the two of them. I kept all that to myself as I responded to Jasper. "I want you both. I am tired of being in bed at night, alone, wondering what it would be like."

They turned to one another, a silent conversation going on with slight nods and a series of small smiles. When Jasper's left eyebrow arched and Edward nodded, both men smiled broadly.

"I guess there are three of us now." Edward spoke softly, reverently, and then turned back to me. "Will you let us worship you, Isabella?"

"Yes."

The boys turned to one another, instead of me as I had expected. Nimble fingers quickly divested one another of their shirts and lowered khaki shorts to the ground, leaving both in slim fitting boxers that hid little. Jasper's tan thighs seemed even darker against the white silk while Edward seemed almost luminescent wearing dark charcoal.

Loving hands reached for me and it was Jasper who pulled me against a bare chest first. The ghosting of his fingertips across the lace down to the satin and up again had me panting and he hadn't _really_ touched me yet. When he trailed the back of his fingers over my breasts, lightly teasing my nipples before resting at my waist, I thought my heart might stop.

"I'm going to kiss you now, Bella."

If I thought our prior kiss had been something to remember, I was wrong. One long-fingered hand moved up between my shoulder blades, while the other moved to my lower back. The lips covering mine moved slowly, deliberately, as he pulled me more firmly against him and leaned slightly, tilting me backwards. This was a kiss that wasn't going to stop before he had me in bed, before _they _had me in bed. I wasn't sure how it was going to work- positions and all – but I knew I was going to be screaming in pleasure before they were done.

While Jasper had a self-confidence that came across in his kiss and every touch, Edward's hesitant fingers played a symphony on my arms as he seduced me his way. Lips parted over the soft skin just above my elbow and trailed a wet kiss up to my shoulder. Teeth nipped gently, a hint of pressured bliss with no pain.

Edward moved behind me, his lips going to my neck as he gently coaxed Jasper and me upright once more. Jasper's lips released mine and moved to Edward's. There was something so private, loving, and devoted in the way they laid claim to one another effortlessly... It was a moment of erotic beauty as their long, lean bodies pressed against me without notice; a flash of tongue, a hint of teeth, and a growl from Jasper that had all of us shivering in response.

Edward's bite seemed to have fully awaken the beast in Jasper as he spun me around to face Edward. His left hand grasped my breast firmly, massaging as his other slid down my thigh, scratching through the fabric. His mouth gave the same worship to my shoulder- sucking, biting, licking; marking me as theirs. Jasper's cock was pressing against my lower back and he swayed side to side as Edward placed a hundred, if not more, feather-light kisses over my cheeks and nose.

"You're beautiful; so beautiful, Bella."

His fingers stroked my hair out of my face and then ran through the waves letting them rest on my shoulders when he was done. The way he touched me held such reverence I was almost moved to tears. When he finally kissed me, it was as if every dream I'd ever had, every late night wish upon a star, all came true. The three of us together; we were just right.

Unlike my panicked kiss of relief, this kiss was full of Edward's desire. It echoed the want I felt in Jasper's touch. Sharp pain on my neck shocked me into gasping and Edward's tongue slid into my mouth as Jasper's pressed against the bite, soothing the discomfort into a lusty ache for more.

I could feel myself losing control, releasing the wanton creature I had kept inside so long.

A pull on my hair exposed my neck as my head tipped back. The heat of Jasper's open-mouthed kisses seeped through me, warming my entire body. Edward followed the movement, his lips never leaving mine, even as Jasper turned my face to his. The three of us passed the kiss back and forth. First, they kissed, then Jasper's lips teased mine with a playful sucking of my lower lip between his, before Edward's mouth and mine found their way back together.

It was Heaven and Hell. I was flying and burning at the same time. It was my connection to both of them that kept me grounded.

"How the fuck do we get you out of this thing?" Jasper murmured in between tugs of my earlobe between his teeth.

"There are..." I trailed off on a groan as his tongue flicked inside my ear. Edward's tongue slid against mine in between our panted breaths and my attempts at speaking.

"Yes, Bella?" he snickered.

"Laces. Untie me."

It was Edward who spun me around, our lips finally parting completely as his fingers sought the hidden laces Rosalie had tucked beneath the fabric. He plucked at the laces as a musician would a harp, freeing me rapidly. The sudden rush of air in my lungs, for the top had been snugly laced, had me dizzy in the best of ways.

"Bodicegasm." Edward's smirk told me he knew that would happen.

Four hands soon rested on my shoulders; and together, the boys denuded me. I stood before them, a puddle of lace and satin at my feet; the lush swells of breasts, hips, and even the still soft remaining curve of a stomach from the twins. I was me; I was theirs. There was no hiding the stretch marks I'd gladly accepted in my skin to carry our daughters to as close to term as possible. They were badges of honor, beauty marks carved in my soul as well as body.

Edward's eyes sought out my hip immediately, and I covered the scar before he could see it. With a subtle shake of my head, he nodded and reached for Jasper. My past had no place in our future.

They divested one another of their boxers and it was not long before we became a tangle of limbs upon the rose petal strewn sheets. Soft kisses led to exploring fingers and sighs of pleasure; whimpers of contentment turned into groans of need. When Jasper slowly pressed me onto my back, I paused my self-education of their bodies and looked at the faces smiling down at me. Eyes shining with love, hair damp with sweat, lips swollen from kisses, bruises forming on necks and shoulders, and inadvertent scratch marks down arms as I clung to them.

"This is what you want?" Jasper's fingers slid once more between my lips and into me. I couldn't help a loud moan as his thumb found my clit while two fingers pumped in and out of me slowly. "Edward," Jasper said, "why don't you find a way to make her quiet before she wakes the little ones?"

Edward moved onto his knees beside my shoulders and gripped the headboard so that he could hover over me. I reached for his cock- slender and long, like his body, with a smooth head that seemed made for sucking. His eyes closed when I stroked his shaft and turned my lips to kiss the crown.

As I parted my lips and took the first inch into my mouth, Jasper looked up at me, his free hand finding mine and squeezing to gain my attention. My eyes were on Jasper as he lowered his mouth to my sex. My cry was muffled by Edward's cock and I took him deeper as Jasper slowly licked me.

It was hard to believe that neither of them had done _this_ with a woman, at least since high school, if then. Edward let out a string of curses as his hips thrust gently. I could tell he was holding back, trying not to hurt me, and loved him even more for it.

I had to release Edward when Jasper found a spot that made my back arch. He had me on edge, right there, at the point where I was begging. "Please, please, please." I made a litany of pleading for more.

"Edward." Jasper's voice was soft as he rested his forehead on my stomach, making me whine as he stopped pleasing me. "Come here, Honey."

A thousand questions passed through Edward's eyes as he did as requested. Jasper pulled one thigh up, opening my body to his husband. "I want to watch the two of you first. Please?"

The kiss they shared spoke volumes of love, trust, honor, and a faith in one another I could only hope to one day have with them. Their lips still moved upon one another when Jasper reached between Edward and my body, aligning his hard cock with my entrance.

It was Edward who stopped us. "Condom?"

I shook my head. "I haven't started ovulating again, or at least having had my period, since I breast feed the girls almost exclusively. Also, I started on the mini-pill a few weeks before your wedding. It was my doctor's idea when I was in for a check up; no more babies unless it is another conscious decision to do so."

"You're sure about this?" he asked as the head of his cock slid up and down before Jasper pressed him against my entrance.

"As sure as the day I agreed to carry your children. I love you, both of you."

Edward thrust forward slowly, filling me in a way no one had in over two years. Jasper stretched out beside us, one arm sliding behind my back to lift me as his other remained at the base of Edward's cock, his forearm holding my thigh up. His fingers bumped my clit on each thrust, keeping my need on high. I reached for Jasper's cock, taking our slow lovemaking into a shared experience among the three of us.

"In the future... if you want to... we can... Oh, God! … try readying you... for us both..." He stopped and moaned, his head falling back repeatedly into the pillow. "Both inside you. Slow down... Don't make me come." Jasper panted against the side of my neck.

Edward leaned down over me, forcing Jasper's hand to press on my clit harder. I was soon grinding against both of them. Pressure built, toes curled and flexed, as I tried to get that little bit more I needed. A brush of lips on mine brought a smile to my face as Edward moved to kiss Jasper.

I watched them kissing, tongues thrusting as an echo of the ones pulsing inside me and in my hand. When Jasper's knuckles seemed to almost ripple against the the top of my sex, the months of emotional foreplay combined with the hour of physical, and sent me over. "That's it, Honey; let it happen." Edward had released Jasper from their kiss and began to stroke my face; never stopping his steady thrusts into me, even as his eyes began to close in pleasure.

His words were honey soaked velvet as he crooned in my ear and his sweat-slickened body worked upon mine. "Can't last much longer."

Jasper moved beside us, sitting up, and Edward let out a groan that had me wondering what Jasper was doing to him. Jasper's new position gave him even more control over what he did to my clit. Cry after cry ravaged my throat as my body was swept over the precipice. As they both loved me, I found my peak.

xxx

It was later, while Jasper and I made love, and Edward lounged sleepily beside us - kissing and touching gently, that I realized my body and mind had finally caught up with my heart.

Jasper rolled, pulling me atop him so that I rode astride his hips, and I saw that smile. _That smile_ that told me he was going to say something smart-assed. "Does this mean I can call you 'Baby' again?"

* * *

**Epilogue will post on Wednesday.**

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	11. Epilogue: EPOV

**Epilogue**

**15 years later**

**EPOV**

"Ashley Carlissa Cullen, get your behind down here right now! Allison Marie, you better be with her if either of you even want to think of not being grounded until you're in college!" Bella was standing on the bottom step with both hands on her hips. Her cheeks were flushed with anger.

We'd only been home for five minutes, so I couldn't figure out what the girls could have done in that period of time. Bella had briefly gone outside to see Jasper before storming back in to call the girls down from their third floor bedroom. When she gave me _that look_ as I opened my mouth to ask what was going on, I shut it quickly. I didn't know what our daughters did, but was smart enough to not get caught in the backlash of it. She'd tell me later. If she wanted to. Maybe.

Our twin girls came running down with seven-year-old Eric on their heels. "Mom? What did they do? I'm not in trouble, too, am I? I was good! I promise I've been good since you told me not to color on the walls anymore!"

His hands were up, and I could see faint green splotches which meant he'd been finger-painting somewhere. There was another smear under his nose from wiping it frequently; he'd been home the past two days with a cold. He had the same penchant for trouble making as his father. Eric already looked like Jasper except for the dark brown eyes of his mother.

"Sport, I think you and I should go find your other dad and go hang out in the garage for a bit." I'd come back in and clean up whatever mess he'd made in the playroom before Bella found it.

"Okay, Dad. Will you carry me out?"

I lifted Eric up onto my shoulders and then ducked through the door. We followed the sounds of Jasper's swearing out to the shed where he was slamming metal cabinet doors. "Girls! Kissing already. I swear to fucking God they're going to have Edward and me gray before we're fifty."

_Kissing?_

"Jazz, what did you say about kissing?"

He threw his hands up into the air. "Mom went to pick up the girls from school since you and Bella were closing up at the old house and I was here with Eric. Mom saw Ashley kissing Joshua, Jake and Leah's boy. Then she looked the other way and saw Ally with Pete Junior. I just told Bella when she came out to let me know the two of you were home." Seeing his and Bella's boy, Jasper held his arms up for his son. "You're not going to kiss any girls, or boys, are you, Champ?"

Eric wrinkled his nose up in a very Bella-like look. "Girls are gross, and boys are more fun to push down in the mud, Dad."

Eric spent more time with his nose buried in books than pushing his friends "down in the mud" so I'd started taking him to the dojo with me on Saturday mornings. I was teaching the children's class and could keep a close watch on our wiry student who towered over his classmates.

We tried to take even just an hour a week with each of the kids by ourselves. It was important to our family dynamic _and_ we simply enjoyed it.

Jasper set Eric down on top of the workbench and held his arms out to me. "Why did you have to make such beautiful girls with Bella?" Eric rolled his eyes, muttering about "mushy stuff" when I kissed the side of Jasper's jaw and let his warmth heat my chest. Bella and I had stood in the March winds for an hour waiting on the other family to show for the closing.

We'd stood in front of the bank with my arms about her waist, too stubborn to return to the car or go inside to warm ourselves. As we handed over the last of the keys and Bella explained the color coded bands on them for which rooms they belonged, I couldn't help but smile. The three of us had been through so much.

We moved when the girls were only one, wanting to find a place that was ours, not a place that had been Jasper's and mine first. It also gave us more distance from Renee who had tried several times to push her way into the girls' lives. The three of us, well, Bella with the two of us, fought desperately over the living situation. She was determined to have her own space and give us our privacy. We did not feel the need.

To make everyone happy, we had agreed upon connecting bedrooms, although she rarely used hers. If one of us ended up ill, we'd sleep in there to avoid sharing germs. For "normalcy" she always entered our bedroom suite through there when the kids were younger. After a while, we dropped all pretenses. In the new house, we had two bedrooms side by side, but she had yet to use hers except for closet space or the occasional afternoon nap.

There were school issues at first as the girls talked about having two dads and a mom who all lived together. Teachers looked at us oddly at the first parent-teacher conferences for Eric as they saw Jasper, Bella, and I all walking in together. When our son started school, they'd look to Jasper and then verify the paperwork listing of _Eric Cullen_. We had decided while Bella was pregnant that Eric would have my be a Cullen so the children had the same last name.

When we first decided to have another baby, one that was biologically Jasper's, I underwent a vasectomy. The three of us already had two children by me; it was my husband's turn. To avoid condoms, I went under the scalpel. I must say the doctors were surprised to see me back so quickly for the sperm test. It had taken little time at all to perform the required number of ejaculations when I had two partners to please and be pleased by.

It took almost three years once Bella went off the pill, but she and Jasper had their little boy who completed our family. Jasper's "Baby" may have made the three of us whole, but Eric made our family complete.

Before her pregnancy with Eric, I never understood how Jasper could see the girls as his. He loved them as his; I knew that, but I didn't quite get it. Watching Eric (and Bella's stomach) grow throughout the thirty-nine weeks she carried him, was just as amazing as the first time with the twins, although with a lot fewer worries. She had been frustrated with far fewer ultrasounds to 'peek in' on our son, although happy that the chances for complication were less.

"So, Eric, where did that paint come from?" Jasper examined our son's hands with a smirk and raised eyebrow.

"I was making palm trees!"

We both groaned. "Where at?" I asked on a sigh.

"On the wall. I want to have a jungle room!"

Jasper bit his lip to stop from smiling. "You better get in there and clean up your toys right now, Boy-o. We'll cover for you, this time."

With a ruffling of hair, and a kiss to a forehead that had the same paint smeared beneath his bangs, Jasper sent his miniature back into the house. "I hope we aren't sending him to a spanking, Edward."

I shrugged. "He shouldn't have painted on the wall; Eric knows better. But, I think if we tell Bella we were planning on painting his bedroom this weekend, she'll let him off the hook and just make us sleep on the pullout in my studio downstairs."

Jasper pushed me against the workbench and smiled down at me, his boots giving him another inch over me. "You, a soundproof bedroom all to ourselves, and a night with no interruptions." He reached up and stroked the short goatee he'd grown over the years. "I like this idea, Edward. It's almost worth painting."

In a move that still stole my breath away, Jasper lifted me up onto the work bench counter, putting us at the same height. "We haven't been back to the house in a while. Think Mom and Dad would give us the keys again sometime? You, me, the pool..." His words faded away as his lips tickled along my neck, leaving teasing, feathery kisses.

"The kitchen counter," I added, turning my head to kiss him.

"I love you, Edward; always and forever." he said before kissing me once more.

Jasper's tongue silently sought entry into my mouth as he pulled my legs around his waist. I hummed in pleasure when his hands moved up under my shirt, scratching my back lightly. We parted briefly as Jasper went to shut the door and drop a broom across the make-shift inside lock to give us privacy.

I unfastened my belt and was had my zipper halfway down when we heard the shriek.

"Eric Anthony Cullen, why are there green hand prints on the bathroom wall? You are in so much trouble, Mister!"

Jasper tucked his cock back into his pants and sighed. "We better go save our boy. Rain check?"

"Yeah." I leaned back against the wall-mounted cabinet and tried to will away my erection. "Let's go take the blame so we can get banished to the basement for the night."

We walked to the house hand in hand, heart in heart; the way we always have, and always will.

* * *

**The End**

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**Many thanks to TwilightDramaTeach for her generous donation to Alex's Lemonade and entrusting me with the story idea she wanted to see written. I hope I've done it justice.**

**Thank you to you, my readers, for the time you've taken to read and review.**

Edit to add after several reviews and PMs:

I write from experience, not a fantasized dream of what a triad would be like. This is a 20 minute glimpse into 15 years of a relationship. A triad isn't 100% equal in its division of time. At another moment, it could have been Bella and Edward, or Bella and Jasper, sneaking away- which would have caused a whole other problem with my readers regarding Bella "being more important" than their relationship. Has Edward snuck downstairs with Bella- or all three of them- absolutely. Have Bella and Jasper gone off without Edward, yes. This was a short glimpse to show that even with everything they've been through, Edward and Jasper are just as strong as ever, if not more so.

She's a mom. She's disciplining her daughters and telling the men to stay out of it. That happens around here between my husband and me when it comes to our children. Has nothing to do with them being in a triad- just a real world look into a family; this one just happens to have three parents instead of two. In my head, Jasper had already talked to the girls about how they're his baby girls and he doesn't want them kissing boys and ruining their lives. They're dads; it's what dads do. I know mine fussed over me dating, and I know my husband is already freaking about how our daughters will be when they're teens.


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